Youth Futures Portfolio in Dignified and Fulfilling Work in Africa

Despite Africa’s vast potential, millions of young people across the continent struggle to access dignified and fulfilling employment. High levels of unemployment and underemployment persist, particularly among youth aged 15 to 24, with a significant portion engaged in informal and unstable work. Structural barriers—including policy fragmentation, weak industrial regulations, gender disparities, and an education system misaligned with labor market needs—continue to limit opportunities for Africa’s young population.   

 Recognising these challenges, several regional and national efforts have been initiated to improve youth employment prospects, such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions a prosperous continent driven by its people. However, these efforts require stronger evidence-based policies and investments to effectively harness Africa’s demographic dividend.   

 The Youth Futures Portfolio in Dignified and Fulfilling Work in Africa is a collaborative research initiative aimed at generating insights and resources to enable African youth to access dignified and sustainable employment. The project is structured around four core research pillars:   

1. Youth Preparedness – Examining skill development, career guidance, and digital storytelling to understand future work readiness.  
2. Indigenous Enterprises in the Informal Economy – Investigating the success factors of youth-led businesses and innovations.  
3. Policy and Industrial Regulation – Analysing regulatory gaps and economic policies shaping youth employment.  
4. Data Repository – Establishing a centralised knowledge hub on labor market trends and skills demand.  

Additionally, a community of practice will facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration between research partners, policymakers, private sector stakeholders, and youth networks to translate research into actionable policies and programs.   

The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) in partnership with key research institutions, will aim to produce forward-looking evidence that will bridge the gap between education, workforce development, and employment policies, ensuring Africa’s young people can thrive in an evolving labor market.    

The Youth Futures Portfolio deploys multi-pronged interventions across its research pillars:   

1. Youth Preparedness  

• Conducts critical reviews on youth readiness for work and evolving labor market needs.   
• Uses digital storytelling to document and analyze youth career pathways.   
•  Develops an AI-powered career guidance tool tailored to African job market realities.   

2. Indigenous Enterprises in the Informal Economy  

•  Conducts comparative studies on youth-led Indigenous enterprises across multiple African countries.  
• Develops training toolkits to enhance skills and resilience of youth entrepreneurs.  
• Engages policymakers and the private sector in dialogues on how to support Indigenous enterprises.   

3. Policy and Industrial Regulation  

• Conducts political economy analysis to assess barriers and opportunities in policy reforms.  
• Develops policy forecasting models to examine future workforce needs and investment priorities.  
• Explores the gig economy’s role in youth employment.  

4. Data Repository  

• Aggregates data on youth employment trends, future skill demands, and job market projections.  
• Establishes an open-access AI-powered labor market data repository for evidence-based decision-making.   

The project seeks to achieve:   

•  Policy reforms: Strengthening industrial policies, workforce regulations, and trade strategies to enhance youth employment opportunities.  
• Increased evidence use: Governments, private sector actors, and NGOs will leverage research insights to design more effective employment programs.  
• Enhanced youth participation: Young people will play an active role in research, policy discussions, and employment initiatives.  
• Strengthened gig economy framework: Providing evidence-based guidelines to improve conditions for freelancers and informal sector workers.  
• Sustainable employment ecosystem: Enabling Africa’s youth to access dignified, fulfilling, and well-regulated job opportunities.   

Consortium

• African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) – Managing the Policy and Industrial Regulation research pillar.  
• University of Pretoria (UP) – Leading the Data Repository development.  
• Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa – Spearheading the Youth Preparedness research.  
• Institute of Statistical, Social & Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana – Leading research on Indigenous enterprises in the informal economy.   

Other regional partners include:    

•   CAP-Youth Empowerment Institute (Kenya) – Supporting youth engagement.  
• Policy Studies Institute (Ethiopia), NISER (Nigeria), ISRA-BAME (Senegal), ICED (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda) – Implementing country-specific research.  
• Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce – Engaging private sector stakeholders in policy discussions.  
• Regional Economic Communities (RECs) & the African Union (AU) – Facilitating continental-level policy adoption.