Written by With more than 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, the continent is home to the world’s youngest population. By 2030, this demographic will swell to more than 375 million and, with it, a staggering number of young people will enter the labour market.
This “youth bulge” presents a dual challenge: either harness this potential to drive economic growth or face the socioeconomic consequences of unfulfilled expectations. At the heart of this challenge lies a critical question: how can Africa equip its youth with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world?
The digital skills gap: a pressing concern
The World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights that the global digital economy is expected to create approximately 92 million jobs by 2030. These roles could help balance skill shortages in higher-income countries while providing significant opportunities for young workers in lower-income regions, including Africa. However, the continent faces a significant digital skills gap that threatens to leave its young population behind. This gap is not just about the availability of jobs; it’s about the readiness of the workforce to fill those roles.
Across Africa, employers cite a lack of adequately skilled workers as a major constraint to business growth. This is compounded by a mismatch between the education young people receive and the skills that industries need. The challenge is clear: to prepare Africa’s youth for the future, the continent must urgently reform its education and training systems.
Education as a catalyst for change
To bridge the digital skills gap, there must be investment in education at all levels, from primary to tertiary and beyond. While there has been progress in increasing access to primary education, more needs to be done to improve completion rates and the quality of education at secondary and tertiary levels. Currently, 30 million African children are out of school, and 35% of the youth have no access to secondary education or technical skills development.
These are missed opportunities for the continent to build a workforce capable of driving digital transformation.
A skills-focused education system is crucial. It must ensure that the supply of skills matches industry demand. For instance, in sectors like Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), where digital design, project management, and AI are increasingly important, education systems must adapt to produce graduates with these capabilities. As we highlight in our report, Constructing Skills for African Prosperity, initiatives like the African Development Bank’s “Coding for Employment” program are a step in the right direction. However, scaling such programmes to meet the needs of millions of young Africans is a daunting task.
Aligning education with industry needs
To prepare Africa’s youth for the digital economy, closer dialogue between education providers and industry is essential. Employers and educators must work together to understand emerging skills requirements and tailor curricula accordingly. This alignment is crucial to ensuring that young people are not only employable but are also equipped to drive innovation and growth in their respective industries.
Initiatives like BIM Africa’s Student Advocate Program and Egypt’s Quality Standard for Information Technology project are examples of how education can be aligned with industry needs. They introduce students to advanced digital skills, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), which are in high demand in the AEC sector. By embedding these skills into degrees, African universities can produce a new generation of graduates who are ready to contribute to the continent’s digital economy.
Policy and fiscal investment
If nations are to fully harness the youth potential, policies must prioritise digital skills development. This requires significant investment in education, infrastructure and technology. Governments must create an enabling environment that encourages private sector investment in digital technologies and job creation. Education systems need to be flexible, inclusive, and proactive, capable of producing a workforce that can adapt to the ever-changing demands of the digital economy.
The African Union’s vision of “harnessing digital technologies and innovation to transform African societies and economies” underscores the importance of this approach. To achieve this vision, African nations must adopt a multifaceted strategy that includes reforming education systems, fostering innovation and creating opportunities for young people to thrive in the digital economy.
A pathway for the future
Africa’s youth bulge presents an unparalleled opportunity for the continent to become a global leader in the digital economy. However, realising this potential requires concerted effort from governments, the private sector and educational institutions.
By investing in digital skills and aligning education with industry needs, Africa can turn its demographic advantage into a powerful engine for economic growth.
The continent’s youth bulge, if well managed, could drive unprecedented economic growth and development. Digital skills development should be prioritised – and education systems reformed. Young people should be able to flourish – and help the continent thrive in a digital world.
Tomas Karlsson is the sr manager of channel services at KnowledgePoint. This means he oversees the management of outsourced extended enterprise learning programs, recruiting and supporting global network of training providers on behalf of organisations, including Autodesk.
Drawing on exemplars from Autodesk Learning Partners, our insight report “Constructing Skills for African Prosperity” is part Autodesk’s commitment to education. We ponder how, in a region facing a significant “youth bulge”, capability and skills gaps which exist now, could be further widened in the future. Drawing on industry exemplars, we offer practical solutions and suggest actions for players across the AEC ecosystem.
For more information about the report and Autodesk’s commitment to education: https://knowledgepoint.com/autodesk/constructing-skills-for-african-prosperity/