African youth meet to discuss job creation

African youth are meeting at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia starting Tuesday to explore opportunities for job creation.

The three day Pan-African Youth Empowerment Conference is intended to contribute to the combined aspirations of Africa's Agenda 2063 as well as the Global Agenda 2030 by providing an opportunity for young people to explore opportunities for job creation, entrepreneurship and self-reliance.

It is also intended to enable them to be effective contributors to their communities and national development, as well as to be competitive at the global level.

Specific objectives include providing a platform for African youth, policy makers, employers and development partners to share learning, perspectives and possible solutions to overcome youth unemployment and underemployment challenges on the continent. 

Deepening accountability for change among African political, business and civil society leaders on youth employability and entrepreneurship will also be looked at. 

The AU Assembly made a decision of January 2016 devoted to the 2017 theme to ‘Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth'.

 The Commission, together with partners, undertook a multi-stakeholder consultative process towards the preparation of the 2017 AU Roadmap on "Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth" which reflects on the inputs and aspirations of a wide range of key stakeholders.

The Roadmap adopted by the Executive Council focuses on four thematic pillars: Employment and Entrepreneurship; Education and Skills Development; Health and Wellbeing; Rights, Governance and Youth Empowerment. 

The Pan-African Youth Empowerment Conference organized in collaboration with SOS Children's Village International will focus on pillar 1, Employment and Entrepreneurship.

The conference will provide a platform for engagement between high-level officials and young people from 47 African countries. Over the 3-day event duration, deliberations will lead to the development of an Action Plan for African Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship.