Food for thought
• Young people can, in essence, create a sustainable future that safeguards and multiplies green jobs. But they can only do that if they fully appreciate the challenges that can hamstring that future and the immense opportunities such a future presents.
7.3 The demographic dividend of a future full of green jobs for youth
Africa’s youth population is growing rapidly. It is expected that, by 2030, the number of African youths will have increased by 42 per cent (United Nations 2015). At the same time, youth in Africa face significant economic challenges, with youth accounting for 60 per cent of all unemployed in Africa (Africa Renewal 2013).
Because population growth has outstripped available jobs, many African countries are straining to generate jobs for the youth that are stepping into the workplace. As a result, young people constitute nearly half of sub-Saharan Africa’s long-term unemployed (ILO 2015). Such high joblessness undermines Africa’s demographic dividend. This rising unemployment stems from diverse challenges that include brain drain, increased automation, reduced need for manufacturing skills, and discordance between employer needs and youth skills (Mthuli Ncube 2018).
To harness demographic dividends and address Africa’s high youth unemployment, labour force participation needs to be increased. There is a need for an enabling environment that would allow young people to innovate and, where needed, create their own enterprises. Considering that agriculture employs 60 per cent of the labour force in Africa and accounts for 25 per cent of the continent’s GDP, it is important that this sector is prioritized to help absorb most of the youth in Africa facing unemployment (Sustainable Energy for All [SEforALL] 2015).
In addition, more research should be invested in emerging areas like biofuel. The Nigerian Biofuel Policy and Incentives in 2007 was created to enable the entrance of Nigeria into the biofuel sector. A four-year study by Elijah Ohimain unearthed scant progress in ushering Nigeria into a Biofuel economy (Ohimain 2007). This slow progress was occasioned by the failed implementation of policies. As the world continues to debate the sustainability or lack thereof of biofuels, African youth should not shy away from the debate. That way, they will have a large say and stake as the future of such emerging technologies continues to unfold.
Youth Action 30: African youth as key players in renewable energy production, Morocco
Ouarzazate is a city located in southern Morocco. It hosts the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant. This plant will ensure that by 2030, more than half of Morocco’s energy will be renewable, with solar contributing at least 14 per cent.
I visited the Polydisciplinary Faculty of Ouarzazate (PFO). Founded in 2009, it specializes in renewable energy exploitation techniques and builds the renewable energy capacity of young engineers. While on my field visit, I met Jaouad Ait Rabeh, one of the graduates from Ouarzazate PFO University. I was inspired by his entrepreneurial success story in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. In 2009, he created the Moroccan Institute for Solar Energy (MISEN).
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A Positive Outlook
Nadia Carol / CC BY-NC 2.0
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