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Participants in a dialogue about the future of work, Africa’s progress, and young people have urged a total transformation of Africa’s education system to emphasize entrepreneurship and innovation as a way to generate long-term employment and address current job market needs. They pointed out that the existing system, which mainly concentrates on diplomas and academic qualifications with little attention to innovation, imagination, and skill building, has not acted as a driver for development and lasting economic growth.

The panel members — Dr. Ayodele Odusola, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Zimbabwe; Dr. Joseph Attah-Mensah, a Senior Fellow at the African Centre for Economic Transformation; and Ms. Tiekie Barnard, Founder and CEO of the Shared Value Africa Initiative, South Africa — discussed the subject,Youth in Africa Over the Next Ten Years: A Driver of Progress or a Risk to Stability?During the third edition of a fireside discussion hosted by the Africa Future Leaders Institute of Global Affairs (AFLIGA), the session, led by Dr. Emmanuel Dei-Tumi, Founder and CEO of AFLIGA, offered an opportunity for detailed examination of Africa’s education system, sustainable employment generation, self-employment, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment.

Dr. Ayodele Odusola noted that the continent’s underdevelopment is due to not fully utilizing the potential of its young population. He highlighted the importance of completely reforming the education system, shifting from simply obtaining certificates to providing young people with entrepreneurial and practical skills. “We need to make use of the abilities of African youth and focus on skills, data management, and artificial intelligence. The youth should become assets, not threats,” he said, emphasizing that Africa requires “education that meets the needs.”

Dr. Joseph Attah-Mensah highlighted the significance of aiding young entrepreneurs with rewards that are fair and considerate of gender diversity, emphasizing that both the government and private sector must contribute to enabling them to generate more job prospects.

Ms. Tiekie Barnard praised the present generation of African youth for their leadership, strength, and creativity. She cautioned that the main obstacle to Africa’s development is the continent’s insufficient investment in its younger population. “The world has gone past just degrees and qualifications — it now emphasizes creativity, innovation, and flexibility,” she mentioned.

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Tagged: Innovation, Ghana, Education, West Africa

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