The African Job Creation Forum, held in Addis Ababa over three days as part of the African Integration Day commemoration, concluded with a call to action from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonen. He urged African nations to intensify their efforts in addressing the challenges of job creation on the continent.
Demeke highlighted the demographic landscape of Africa, where 60 percent of the current 1.4 billion population is under the age of 25, making it the youngest part of the world. He emphasized that if managed properly, this demographic could be a blessing and a significant asset due to the potential for a large workforce that could expand production capacity.
However, Demeke lamented the current state of unemployment in Africa, particularly among youth and women, stating that it has a severe impact on the standard of living. He identified the root causes of these challenges, including mismanaged labor supply and demand, lack of qualified skilled training tailored to 21st-century markets, inflation, recession, recurrent conflicts, instability leading to decreased investment, capital migration, bankruptcy, faulty job creation planning, unorganized support for enterprise development, and weak continental integration.
In response to these challenges, Demeke stressed the need for African countries to double their efforts to address job creation problems. He called for a collective resolution to overcome the fragmented economy in the continent.
Demeke provided insights into Ethiopia’s commitment to tackling unemployment, announcing a goal of creating 20 million jobs by 2030. He emphasized the ambition to generate 3 million jobs annually, aiming to absorb both the existing unemployment backlog and new entrants to the labor market.
The Deputy Prime Minister proposed the organization of advocacy platforms, similar to the concluded forum, to coordinate and integrate national capacities. He envisioned these platforms as contributing to the Africa Jobs Summit, laying the foundation for implementing the Agenda 2063.
Demeke acknowledged the importance of focusing on women and youth, who constitute the majority of the population. He emphasized the need for policy attention and integrated continental strategic intervention, announcing Ethiopia’s collaboration with the African Union and partners like AE-Trade to lead advocacy and awareness creation campaigns at the continental level.
During the forum, Demeke presented certificates of appreciation and awards to hundreds of Ethiopian enterprises that exhibited exemplary services. He congratulated the awardees, expressing confidence that the recognition would encourage them to contribute more positively to building a better future.
African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Monique Nsanzabaganwa commended the intense and fruitful three-day forum, highlighting the significance of job creation in a continent where over 70 percent of the population is youth. She appreciated the contributions of the host, AU, the government of Ethiopia, and all participants to the successful forum.
The forum witnessed a notable pledge from the United African Royal Assembly, committing to mobilize investments between six to eight billion USD to create 80 to 125 million jobs over the next 10 to 15 years. Deputy Chairperson of AU lauded this commitment, expressing optimism that it would contribute significantly to achieving the targets set for Agenda 2063.
Nsanzabaganwa outlined additional programs aiming at mobilizing finance, financial inclusion, jobs, employment parity, and quota systems for public and private procurement. She set a goal for at least 80 percent of banks in the 55 African countries to report their commitments to women, youth, and SMEs. Overall, the forum left participants with ideas, motivations, and visions to implement the ambitious agenda for Africa’s future job creation and economic development.