Youth unemployment remains disproportionately high in Africa. However, a growing digital economy, supported by improvements in information and communications technology, including access to the Internet, provides an opportunity for addressing youth unemployment. Still, Africa suffers a digital infrastructure and a skills gaps. These gaps are likely to affect inclusive employment among the youth adversely. Taking this into cognisance, various countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt, have implemented youth employment programmes to provide technical training to equip youth with digital literacy and online work skills. However, the implementation and success of these programmes remain unclear. This chapter aims to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of the digital economy and their implications for youth employment. In addition, it provides an overview of digital youth employment programmes in Africa. Finally, we discuss the role of private-public partnerships in an integrated framework for achieving youth employment in a digital economy.
EfD Authors
Country
Sustainable Development Goals
Publication reference
Barasa, L., & Kiiru, J. M. (2023). The Digital Economy and Youth Employment in Africa. Public Policy and Technological Transformations in Africa, 161–182. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18704-9_7