For the better part of the week, world leaders had gathered in New York, United States in what is termed as the Summit of the Future.
This summit culminated in the adoption of a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
The comprehensive pact covers a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance.
On the action day of the summit, I was honored to speak at the side event dubbed ‘Skills for a Sustainable Future’ organized by the National Association of Vocational Education of China (NAVEC) and the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE).
This happened on the backdrop of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
During the summit, China promised to offer 60,000 training opportunities to Africa, with priorities given to programmes for women and youth empowerment.
China committed to also refine the mechanisms and platforms for China-Africa science and education cooperation, and establish China-Africa regional cooperation centers for digital education, and designate the year 2026 as the Year of China-Africa People-to-People Exchanges.
The conference aimed at promoting global vocational education cooperation and skills development and their contribution to global sustainable development.
The dynamics of global demographics and their ripple effects shape our world today forming the bedrock of the summit and provided a platform for transitioning from SDGs to the Pact of the Future.
Statistically, persons under 25 represent a whopping 61 percent of the population in low-income countries, compared to 27 percent in high-income countries.
This demographic trend presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, a large youth population can drive economic growth if young people are well-integrated into the labor market.
On the other hand, it requires significant job creation, education, and training programs to avoid high levels of youth NEET (not in employment, education, or training).
There is no other continent where this phenomenon has been more pronounced than in Africa which holds the most youthful and fastest-growing population in the world with a median age of 18.
Projections by the UN show that the world population will hit 10 billion people by 2055 with 95 per cent of this growth taking place in low and middle-income countries.
Of this growth, Africa will account for 57 per cent, better still, by 2035; Africa’s working-age population will exceed that of China or India.
Despite the huge growth in the labor force, Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates estimated to reach seven per cent this year with youth unemployment accounting for 60 per cent of all of Africa's jobless, according to the World Bank.
This situation has further been exacerbated by a mismatch between the young population and available opportunities. Each year about 10 million to 12 million people enter the labor market while only about three million formal jobs are created.
The consequences of youth unemployment in Africa are pervasive and severe: translating to poorer living conditions, fueling migration, and contributing to conflict.
Mo Ibrahim Foundation report estimates that more than 40 per cent of African youth consider their current living situation to be very bad or fairly bad.
Above all, youth unemployment constitutes a failure to capitalize on one of the continent’s greatest assets for growth: its large and growing population of talented young people.
Tackling youth unemployment is therefore essential if countries are to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work for all by 2030 and pave way for a luminous future.
There is therefore an urgent need to create opportunities for youth, with tremendous potential impact. One of the most practical ways of addressing this challenge is through skills training that is crucial for youth employment and entrepreneurship.
Skills have a profound impact on individual lives, especially for youth as is the case in Africa.
Skills development is a crucial pathway out of poverty, hopelessness and destitution and provides a rare opportunity for these individuals to change their destinies.
It provides the youth with more employme
nt opportunities, enhancing their economic independence and dignity. Thus, skills can change not only the lives of our youth but also drive overall social progress of the nation and the continent as a whole.
The skills revolution is driving profound economic and social changes worldwide and Africa should not be left behind.
Especially under the impetus of digital technology and new industries, skills have become the key bridge connecting innovation and practice.
It helps enhance national competitiveness and reduce regional development gaps. It is a significant driving force for sustained global progress and development as has been experienced in the first world countries.
Lastly, the improvement and dissemination of skills are crucial for promoting global cooperation and common development.
Skills are not only interlinked, as they are based on shared knowledge systems and practical experiences, but also mutually beneficial.
Countries can promote their own progress by learning from each other's successful skill development experiences through exchanges.
More importantly, skill improvement requires mutual promotion and support from the international community.
Kenya enacted and is currently implementing a National Skills Development Policy that yours truly was part of conceptualising.
The policy seeks to position skills development as an important means of addressing the socio-economic development of Kenya through the development of a skilled workforce that is employable, productive, enterprising, innovative and competitive..
Overall, skills training has the ability of driving personal development, preparing the youth for personal livelihoods, equipping them to serve society, and preparing them for enhanced productivity of the nation and the world.
If implemented, the mutual learning and exchange of skills as propounded in the Pact of the Future and implemented by NAVEC and other international stakeholders can promote economic development, reduce development gaps, enhance global crisis response capabilities, and foster understanding and respect among different cultures, contributing significantly to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
As elucidated by Confucius, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
For us in Africa, we hope that through cooperation with the developed world, we may learn not only wisdom but skills as we engage in the noble pursuit of making the world a better place for humanity.
Alex Matere is a youth policy expert and champion currently serving as Executive Director of Youth Bridge Kenya.