Seminar on ‘Decent work and Youth Unemployment’ at the first Africa-Europe Youth Platform Meeting in Addis Ababa,

4 – 8 November 2012

A reflection presented by Adikwu Michael Network of International Youth Organizations in Africa

(NIYOA)

The story of the fisherman and

the professor in a canoe

While there is no singular definition of employability, a review of literatures suggests that employability is about work and the ability to be employed. It is the capacity and capability of gaining and maintaining productive work over the period of one's working life.

To understand the impact of governance on youth employment, I will like us to reflect on few questions:

Was the Arab Spring the result of youth unemployment or the result of a governance structure that failed to give enough attention to tackling youth unemployment?

Education: does our education system promote actual learning over paper qualification? How has ICT been incorporated into learning in our institutions?

Political structures: does the ostensible living of our politicians encourage youths to be creative and work with their hands or does it encourage cheating to get a top political office?

Bilateral Cooperation: Has Aids really worked? Is it true that NGOs and Foreign donors buildings (housing) occupy the more arable and productive lands that could have been used for agriculture?

Civil Service: how regular is retraining and promotion exercises in the civil service?

Immigration: does our immigration laws favour cheap labour but promote poor working conditions for immigrants?

National Youth Service schemes Strengthened partnership and increased

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Increased internship and volunteer works Virtual learning system (training courses such

as the global education online course) Increased attention and expansion in the

informal sector Increased Public – private partnership (PPP) Access to micro-finance and support for SMEs The universities on youth and development

(Cape Verde, Mollina, Uruguay, etc)

Continue and improve on the above measures already taken

Promote social inclusion. Think and provide for the minority groups and differently abled people

De-emphasize the so much attention that is placed on paper qualification rather than actual learning and competence

Provide decent part-time jobs Shift focus from Aids effectiveness to

development effectiveness

Fight corruption. It’s a two way traffic; there are givers and receivers (unfortunately some are in form of foreign partnership)

Reduce military spending and invest the funds into development work

Encourage agriculture and access to market for agricultural produce

Promote research work. Reduce the bottlenecks that prevent

access to funds for SMEs or youth empowerment actions

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE ABOVE SUGGESTIONS AND WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST SHOULD BE DONE TO MAKE YOUNG PEOPLE EMPLOYABLE?

THANK YOU