Setting an Agenda for Promoting Employment through Entrepreneurship

A Synopsis

Introduction

Today, rising unemployment is taking a heavy toll among young people than never before, especially in developing countries and particularly in Sub-Sahara Africa. Young people have become a vulnerable group in the labour market. With the Structural Adjustment Programmes imposed on developing countries in the 80s through 90s, lay-offs, restructuring and insufficient opportunities have condemned many, to a life of economic hardship and despair. The youth have not been spared either. Globally, we witness the tragedy of young lives misspent in vices such as crime, drug abuse, civil conflict and even terrorism. This is a phenomenon, posing a challenge to all development partners.

Youth unemployment is a problem that affects all countries and it is increasing over time. By 2005, it was estimated that around 88 million youth around the globe were unemployed with the highest numbers is Western Asia, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa¹. Numbers within the working age population, who are mainly the youth, are also rising. According to what has been projected, over the ten years, 1 billion people will be of the working age.There is increased pressure on young people to compete in a globalizing labour market.

On the other hand, globally, the rate of literacy has been improving over the last few decades. Many developing countries, including those in Sub-Sahara Africa have eliminated primary user fees as a commitment to universalize primary education following the ‘Education for All’ campaign that sprung up from 1990s and the subsequent UN MDGs of 2000². A few countries such as Uganda and Kenya³ have moved a step further to subsidise secondary education with the aim of reducing primary to secondary transition rates. By 2007, 1.2 billion people between the ages of 15 and 24 years,those the United Nations refers to as “youth” or “young people” were best educated youth generation in history⁴. It is therefore true that compared with the previous generations, the current (and future) generation of youth, clamouring for employments are (will be) more educated. Yet, the paradox of facing more obstacles in their quest for employment is the reality.

Such changing and relentless trends create the need for all stakeholders (development partners) to develop strategies that will provide youth, opportunities to find decent and productive work, allowing them to become independent and responsible global citizens.

This involves making youth employable, providing level playing field opportunities, developing individual skills for entrepreneurship and importantly at a macro level, employment creation for youth.

Against this background,Pax Romana ICIMICA has organised an InternationalCongressof youth under the main heading ‘Youth Entrepreneurship & Employment in Africa: Setting an Agenda for Promoting Employment through Entrepreneurship’ whose goal is to provide an opportunity for young people in Africa to meet and discuss ways of creating working opportunities and enabling environment for them.

Objectives

The Youth Congress will be to bring youth from Africa to:

1. Discuss challenges facing the youth, among them youth unemployment.
2. Share ideas on innovative measures that need to be put in place to enhance employment opportunities for the youth.
3. Explore innovative strategies that can encourage and sustain a culture of youth entrepreneurship.
4. Review the role of development agents (governments, private sector and CSOs) in creating youth employment and how these agents can work closely towards enhancing youth entrepreneurship.
5. Lobby governments and other development agents to be mindful about youth affairs.

Methodology

The Congress approach will involve presentations, discussions, group tasks and reporting.A site visit to a selected entrepreneurial youth project will be incorporated. Bringing youth from a number of African countries and various stakeholders from the public, private and civil society sectors; the theme will be explored by drawing from the youth’s own country experiences. Specific topics to be discussed will be delivered from the following thematic areas:

a) Setting National Agendas for Promoting Employment through Entrepreneurship.

Critical Focus: It is true that Africa is a continent of resourceful entrepreneurs. But in order to create jobs, this environment of enterprise needs to be harnessed at the grassroots level. How can nations create an entrepreneurial culture, especially amongst the youth? Equally important, what are the ways in which such enterprises can be sustained and scaled up?

b) Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators

Critical Focus: With job opportunities in the organized private sector shrinking and Governments facing a resource crunch, the attention has now turned to the informal sector (widely known in Kenya as the Jua Kali Sector). Across developing economies, the informal sector accounts for a majority of the jobs created, but many of these jobs are not sustainable. How can stakeholders build an atmosphere where youth are encouraged to set up businesses on their own and create jobs for others?

c) Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Youth Entrepreneurship Development

Critical Focus: A country will never be able to initiate and sustain a successful movement of entrepreneurship unless all stakeholders and development partners, including Governments, CSOs, educational institutions, lending agencies and the private sector work together and explore synergies. On what contours/platform can such partnerships be built?

Notes

1. UN World Youth Report, 2005, ’Young People Today and in 2015’,(www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr05.htm) Accessed on 30th.03. 2008
2. In the year 2000, the United Nations declared Universal Primary Education (UPE) as the second of its Eight Millennium Development Goals. (see www.un.org/millenniumgoals/goals.html)Accessed on 12th.2.2008
3. See BBC News, (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7239577.stm) Accessed on30th.03.2008
4. UN World Youth Report, 2007, ’Young People’s Transition to Adulthood; Progress and Challenges’,  (www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/wyr07_overview.pdf)Accessed on 3.3.2008

Comments and Suggestions

Comments and suggestions on the theme and its contents can be directed to:

Fredrick Wamalwa, on + 254 726 406 371(fredwamalwa@yahoo.co.uk)