A rapier not a blunderbuss: Why the EU must do better in supporting African job creation

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Ninara via Flickr

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Sub-Saharan Africa will need to create 18 million jobs each year until 2035, to accommodate young labour market entrants. The AU-EU Summit of November 2017 identified it as a top priority for Africa and for development cooperation.

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    Summary

    The European Union has the desire and the instruments needed to support the efforts of African countries themselves to lead the path towards job creation. But the EU needs a smarter and better-targeted approach to make this possible. The priority is to support long-term structural transformation, helping the creation of new jobs in sectors with higher productivity, with special attention to youth and women, and making low-carbon development central.

    The quality of education and the development of business-oriented skills are also needed and should be better linked to the promotion of investment opportunities. The informal sector also needs support and special programmes – including more social protection – are needed for the most vulnerable. However, strategies should be adapted to the reality of each country.

    For more information, please visit the European Think Tanks Group’s website.

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