African Economic Conference 2019: adapting vocational training to the needs of the market to increase employment opportunities for young Africans

AfDB NEWS & EVENTS

04-Dec-2019

The experts and researchers at the 2019 African Economic Conference have painted a picture of the weaknesses of the labor market in Africa. According to them, this market is characterized mainly by the inadequacy of training, difficult access and an economic environment dominated by the informal sector. 

During this session on "Youth Employment in Africa, Opportunities and Challenges", the young researchers took stock of the situation in Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameron and Congo.

Adeolo Oyenubi, a researcher at the School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, noted the strong support of the Ghanaian government for the informal sector, convinced that this dynamic sector is vital in African economies. Pointing to the inequalities in the labor market, he stressed the need for sustained government intervention to help young people out of poverty in a sustainable way. It also noted with satisfaction the dynamism of the self-employment of young people in Ghana, a source of wage stability and security.

A study on the labor market in the Congo, conducted by researcher Mathieu Makouezi at the Center for Studies and Research on Economic Policy and Analysis, highlighted weaknesses in terms of opportunities and opportunities for young people. The unemployment rate for young people aged 15-29 is 30.5%, while 31% of young people have been looking for work for more than two years. According to Makouezi, the mismatch between supply and demand, calls on the government, concrete measures of reform of education and technical training of young people.

Koami Mawuko Midagbodi, presented the cases of Benin and Togo, highlighting the constraints related to the lack of technological professional qualification. For Midagbodi, it is urgent that the governments of these countries strengthen education and technological vocational training to facilitate the integration of young people and help them out of poverty.

For the situation in Cameroon, Faustine Ked Ndouna, researcher, believes that the labor market is characterized by a growing informal sector and a formal sector that is almost non-existent. This is due to the difficulty of access to the labor market and for this the government must identify the needs of the market and train young people able to meet these needs.

It is about reducing regulatory and institutional barriers to access to the labor market by reforming the education system to meet the needs of industries. Faustine Ked Ndouna estimates that 7.13% of employees in the formal sector are qualified, and 60.16% of the workforce is in the informal sector while less than 3% in the informal sector has a contract . Figures that reveal, according to the panelist, the distortion of the labor market in Cameroon