How to turn Africa’s young demographic potential into a collective power

By 2050, Africa will account for 41 percent of all global births

Originally published on Global Voices

In public spaces, transport, and the media, we see the challenges facing an increasingly elderly population: increased healthcare needs, failure to adapt infrastructure, public transport, and housing to help maintain their independence. A few weeks ago, I travelled to Japan, where I saw firsthand how the aging population isn’t just an abstract statistic.

In 2023, the Japanese population had a life expectancy of over 80 for both men and women, with those over 65 accounting for 29 percent of the population, and those under 15 accounting for 11 percent. Comparatively, for the same time period in Senegal, those over 65 accounted for 3.8 percent of the population, and those under 15 accounted for 39 percent.

In Japan, in addition to this observation, I witnessed the effective social and spatial adaptation of infrastructure and services to support this age group: infrastructure designed for limited mobility, health devices, jobs dedicated to elder care, and even the use of technology to aid them in their daily tasks.

However, in Africa, we tend to hear more about the population boom. After all, this continent now has the world’s youngest population. According to a UNICEF report published in 2023, by 2050, Africa will account for around 41 percent of all global births — about 40 percent of all children under five, and 35 percent of all adolescents. This young population has the potential to be a massive force for change.

Promising initiatives to combat major challenges

When young people are supported, they demonstrate their independence and innovation. Such is the case in Kenya, where the Nairobi technology hubs power the “Silicon Savannah,” and in Tunisia, where the startup ecosystem is integrated into public employment policies. In Rwanda, the investment policy in digital technology and services has reduced young graduate unemployment by almost 10 percent over the past decade

However, as education remains a privilege, this potential is largely underutilized. According to UNESCO, more than 98 million school-aged children and young people are out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa. For 15- to 17-year-olds, the school dropout rate exceeds 50 percent, including in technical courses, and is even higher for girls. As such, millions of young people leave the system without the necessary skills to become agents of development.

Only strong political will can reverse that trend, as shown in Ghana, where the Free Senior High School program, combining free access, scholarship policies, and facility improvements, increased secondary school enrolment by 69 percent between 2017 and 2022.

Incompatibility between training and employment

Sustainable development cannot be limited to access to education; it is still necessary to utilize the acquired skills. Many African education systems remain out of touch with the labor market needs. Technical, vocational, and digital education remains inadequate and often undervalued.

The consequences are clear. Every year, 10 to 12 million young people enter the African labor market, but only 3.7 million formal jobs are created. Many turn to informal employment, with precarious incomes and no social protection. This lack of productivity hampers growth, weakens social cohesion, and often fuels migration.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, more than 92 percent of workers in Nigeria are now part of the informal work industry. This percentage is even greater among young people. In a study by the International Labor Organization (ILO), 98 percent of employed young men and 99 percent of employed young women report being in informal employment.

In South Africa, informal employment accounts for a significant segment of the economy. According to trade unions, this sector accounts for around 27 percent of the workforce.

However, alternatives exist. In Somalia, social entrepreneur and Aspen Institute member Mohamed Ali Dini founded the IFTIN Foundation. This program trains and employs young people, offering them mental health support to overcome the trauma of war and reintegrate into society. This type of integrated approach — employment, health, and resilience — exemplifies how Africa can transform its young people into agents of reconstruction.

Among these young people, girls are the ones who experience multiple forms of discrimination: limited access to education, child marriages, teenage pregnancies, and sexual abuse. According to UNICEF, more than one in eight girls in Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced a form of sexual abuse during childhood.

And yet, young women are powerful agents of change. In Senegal, initiatives like Senegaleses in Tech or Jokalante train hundreds of young women in digital and coding professions. These often civil-society-led programs show that investing in women’s education and economic independence has a positive effect on society as a whole: higher incomes, reduced inequalities, improved health, and family stability. Empowering young women is, therefore, a key sustainable development strategy.

The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) projections indicate that Africa’s working population will increase from about 56 percent to 63 percent by 2050. If this transition is well managed, it could become a source of prosperity. But without massive investment in education, health, training, and formal employment, this advantage could become a disadvantage: a large but marginalized youth population.

Some countries have shown the way. In Ethiopia, the Youth Revolving Fund has funded over 200,000 youth entrepreneurial projects since 2019. When built on a coherent national vision, these programs can sustainably reduce youth unemployment and rebuild social trust.

Well-defined development priorities

Various strategies are required to put this potential into force. The first step involves fundamentally reforming education systems to meet the current needs of local economies. The programs must include digital skills, green occupations, sustainable agriculture, craftsmanship, and small business management. Ensuring universal access to secondary education, especially for girls, requires targeted scholarships, appropriate infrastructure, and local education policies.

Secondly, it is vital to create decent jobs that offer young people tangible prospects. This means supporting entrepreneurship with accessible funding mechanisms, mentorship, and greater integration in local and regional markets. Governments and partners must also foster investments in growing sectors, such as technology, light industry, and renewable energy.

Health and social protection are another indispensable asset. Youth policies must include reproductive health, mental health, and social security. Particular attention should also be paid to the protection of young women from violence and discrimination, which hinders their economic and social participation.

Lastly, youth participation and leadership must be central to public action. Young people, and young women in particular, must be included in decision-making spaces on all levels: local, national, and regional. Fostering inclusive leadership, rooted in community realities, is a prerequisite for building resilient and equitable societies.

I often think back on what I saw in Japan, an aging society that, paradoxically, values young people as a rare commodity. There, they want more young people, they look for them, train them, and listen to them. In Africa, we have the opposite, an abundance of young people who are rarely valued. We have the world’s greatest demographic treasure, and yet we don’t make it a priority.