Recently I had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with teachers and university leaders, policy makers and shapers, and industry practitioners from across Africa. Both during the 2025 meetings of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in Ghana, and during a set of launch activities for 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 new collaborative partnership in Ghana 鈥� the Nkabom Collaborative (Nkabom meaning unity or togetherness in the Akan language), it was evident that Africa does and will play a critical role in the future of work and education. By 2050, the growth in African working age population will account for 85% of the increase in the working age population and constitute at least 25% of the global workforce. () In other words, 1 in 5 workers will be of African origin. Africa is home to the youngest population overall in the world, a fact that has also contributed to the continent鈥檚 tech boom. At the same time, the continent is grappling with multiple challenges, including high youth unemployment rates, significant percentages of school-aged children who are out of school, and substantial food insecurity and poverty. We also see a skills mismatch between what people learn and what job opportunities will exist in the future. Political instability, violent conflicts, and climate change compound these challenges.
So what can we do to ensure that youth (aged 18-34) are in fact able to realize their and the African continent鈥檚 potential? What I saw in Accra and in subsequent conversations, suggests that there is much excellent work underway. There is a thriving creative tech start-up culture, and hundreds if not thousands of educators, non-profit organizations, foundations, and governmental and private sector actors from all over the continent and the globe are expending much energy, many financial and human resources to build capacity in different areas from elementary and secondary education to post-secondary university and vocational education.
The discussions revealed the need for a systemic approach 鈥� considering the lifelong learning trajectory from primary education to post-retirement as well as the wide diversity of population needs- to addressing barriers to youth employment and educational attainment. Contrary to some expectations, a lot of data exists already that can inform evidence-based policies and practice. However, it is applied inconsistently and/or lacks feedback loops to the producers of the data. Inadequate technical infrastructure, lack of legal or regulatory frameworks in some cases, significant financial constraints in the public sector all make it difficult to educate and upskill Africans. Much focus is devoted to training data analysts, for example, but political and social reluctance to use the data and/or produce meaningful data must also be addressed. Moreover, mainstream data collection often does not capture the millions of out-of-school children and groups historically underrepresented in many educational and training programs 鈥� women, individuals with disabilities, and the forcibly displaced.
This is where university-based continuing education can make a huge difference, with experience in intergenerational, holistic and practical teaching approaches as well as their convening power to bring together all the different stakeholders who hold some of the pieces to solving this puzzle. We at the 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 School of Continuing Studies are doing our small part to contribute to advancing many of the that must be addressed together to ensure sustainable, meaningful employment of African youth. Whether training in Data Analytics for Business or whether strengthening parliamentary governance, or contributing to a better understanding of global food security, we are working systematically and systemically to positively transform the lives across the African continent and diaspora.