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The big deal: Africa is experiencing a youth explosion that will transform Africa and the world. In which ways depends on policy decisions taken in the coming years. Here’s why it matters.

3 things to know

1. Africa’s youth population is massive. Half of Africa’s 1.5 billion people are younger than 19 years old. That makes Africa the world’s youngest region, by far. Its median age is half that of the US and Europe. Looked at another way, Africa’s under-19 population is roughly equal to the entire populations of the European Union and United States, combined.

Median age by region

Why it matters: Africa will be home to one in four people globally by 2050. Its workforce will swell whilst those of industrialised countries stagnate or decline. By 2050, Africa’s working population will outnumber Europe’s entire population by 2 to 1. The EU’s (and other governments’) crackdown on migration is short-sighted: They stand to benefit from an infusion of young, entrepreneurial talent as their own working populations shrink. If Africa wants to retain all this young talent, it will need to create more jobs. It currently creates just one-fifth of the jobs needed each year to meet the demand of its growing population.

2. Africa’s youth boom won’t end anytime soon. Africa’s fertility rate (4.3 births per woman) is nearly double the global average (2.2) and nearly triple the rate in high-income countries (1.5). 29 of the 30 countries with the world’s highest fertility rates are in Africa.

Why it matters: The pressure that African governments are already under to improve social services and provide jobs is only going to grow. More than 30 African countries spend more on debt service than on healthcare. That is hardly a recipe for economic growth or for growing healthy and well-educated citizens. It highlights the urgent need for the G20 to fix a broken debt system and be more aggressive about multilateral development bank reforms that could lead to sizable cash infusions for struggling countries. The G20 would also be wise to take note of the anti-West sentiment amongst youth during the recent protests in Kenya (particularly aimed at the IMF and World Bank).

African debt service as a share of government spending

Source: ONE

3. Africa’s youth are demanding better. They want jobs, education, better governance, less corruption, and their fair say in the global system. And they are growing impatient. Protests driven by youth frustration have taken place across Africa this year, including in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, and Tunisia.

Why it matters: Africa’s youth are more educated than their elders, but are more likely to be unemployed. Education policy has outpaced economic policy in most African countries, resulting in more qualified people than available jobs. That helps explain why half of young Africans surveyed have considered emigrating. Youth frustration with decades of bad governance has eroded their trust in institutions and nurtured a growing willingness to embrace military rule. Increased political instability and brain drain would do nothing good for peace and prosperity across Africa and beyond.

From the ONE Team

• We created the Olympics for investing in the world’s future. See which country took home the gold.
• ONE is training the next generation of African activists and leaders.

The numbers

• #1: Unemployment is the top priority that African youth say their governments should address.
• Three-fourths of Africans live in countries at risk of debt distress.
• 30%: The unmet demand for contraception among women who are married or in a partner relationship.

Quote of the week

“Africa's youth are not just the future — they are the now.”

— Chido Mpemba, Chernor Bah, and Stephen Omollo

What you should read, watch, and listen to:

• Is a sub-Saharan “African Spring” in the offing?
• No jobs, no trust: young Africans’ economic struggles fuel protests.
• One year in the infuriating and humiliating search for a job in South Africa.
• Kenya’s fed-up Gen Z is delivering a message the West needs to hear.

A look ahead

12 August: International Youth Day

The ONE Campaign’s data.one.org provides cutting edge data and analysis on the economic, political, and social changes impacting Africa. Check it out HERE.

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