In Africa, rising youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb

In Africa, rising youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb

One out of three young Africans is unemployed, and the youth population will double by 2050. How can Africa create jobs for the young and avoid unrest? A man holds a poster marking South Africa’s Youth Day holiday in Soweto, South Africa, 16 June 2020. (AP...

Marshaling official reports and authoritative data, correspondent Stella Mapenzauswa lifts the lid on one of Africa’s biggest challenges – youth unemployment. On a continent as large and diverse as Africa, it can be perilous to generalize across borders, but Mapenzauswa puts her finger on a problem that threatens numerous governments and societies there. Not satisfied with merely identifying the problem, the experienced journalist from southern Africa glimpses a solution in “hustling” – young Africans using whatever skills they have to earn money as entrepreneurs. Some of the best journalism identifies both problems and solutions.

Exercise: Ask your students to identify a critical problem facing their local community, assessing its economic and social impact, and then to list possible solutions and the attendant costs.

In Tunis, a workshop for young citizens

By Hafawa Rebhi In the heart of the medina of Tunis, a small sign marks the spot. Painted in black on a wooden rectangle, the words “El Warcha” — “workshop” in Arabic — glimmer under the rays of a winter sun. I smell fresh wood...

Tag: Arab Spring