INTRODUCTION

1. Africa is poised to become the talent capital of the 21st century
The African continent is home to the largest youth population in the world, and by 2035, it is estimated that Africa will be putting more people into the workforce a year than the rest of the world combined. Equipped with future-ready education and skills and connected with jobs, this youth surge has the transformative potential to drive the global productivity and innovation engine of the 21st century.

2. To take advantage of the transformative potential of African youth…
To take advantage of the transformative potential of African youth in the global labor market, we must invest in African human capital development, including in world-class future-proofed education and skilling at a scale to match the historic opportunity. This is particularly urgent against the backdrop where the global workforce is facing polarization: while the African continent is facing a youth employment crisis characterised by an estimated 9 million “missing jobs” annually, the ageing world will face an estimated talent shortage of more than 85 million workers by 2030. However, turning the largest college-age population and workforce in the history of the world into an opportunity for inclusive growth will not happen without an intentional, cross-sectoral effort.