General Context
The world is currently experiencing its youngest demographic in history, with 1.2 billion individuals. Nearly 90% of young people live in developing countries, where they represent a significant portion of the population. As the global population of young people continues to rise, their empowerment becomes a cross-cutting and central issue for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
By 2050, Africa is projected to have approximately three times as many working-age youth as China: 330 million compared to 120 million. However, this "demographic dividend" risks becoming a "curse." According to experts, this demographic explosion could create a vast workforce of capable young individuals that could, on one hand, stimulate the continent’s long-term economic growth while, on the other hand, posing enormous challenges for job creation.
Indeed, without a significant shift in public policies of African states and development aid strategies, philanthropic funding, and impact investments, the current rate of NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) among young people—which stands at 20%—is likely to exceed this threshold significantly. For instance, if this rate remains at 20%, by 2050, there will be a population of idle youth in Africa equivalent to the current population of France, totaling over 67 million.
While various African governments and actors in the Social and Solidarity Economy are implementing strategies to enhance youth empowerment, these efforts cannot scale to meet the challenge without substantial funding. Currently, development aid directed at Africa is estimated at $90 billion, according to OECD databases, distributed as follows: $75 billion from states and $15 billion from international NGOs.
In parallel, Moody's estimates the volume of Social Impact Bond emissions at $250 billion, with Africa's share varying between 1% and 2%.
GOALS
1. Build a network of African stakeholders and donors committed to the theme of economic empowerment of youth in Africa.
2. Identify the opportunities, challenges, and potentials of the continent in terms of youth empowerment.
3. Share best practices among African stakeholders committed to youth empowerment.
4. Support African stakeholders in better structuring their youth empowerment projects or programs to increase their impact and ensure the funding for scaling them up.
5. Mobilize impact investors for African youth empowerment projects.
6. Support institutional and associative stakeholders engaged in favor of youth in raising funds.
7. To produce a multilingual guide for stakeholders engaged in youth empowerment in Africa.
Partners
The Pan-African Youth Union was founded under the name of the Pan-African Youth Movement on April 26, 1962, in Conakry, Guinea, at the initiative of heads of state, as a special vehicle aimed at mobilizing young people for the decolonization of Africa.
The movement played a strategic role in mobilizing political support for the independence of African states.
As a continental coordinating institution, the Pan-African Youth Union (UPJ) not only unites national youth councils and equivalent structures across the African continent but also brings together youth-led and youth-focused civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as regional platforms of the regional economic commissions.
The UPJ also works with ministries of youth and other development partners in African countries.
Since 1962, the Union has strived to support and reinforce the values and ideals of the African Union (AU) in promoting unity, peace, democracy, sustainable development, and African integration, initially known as the Pan-African Youth Movement (MPJ).
The current structure of the Pan-African Youth Union (UPJ) is the result of a deep and rigorous transformation and revitalization of the MPJ, with the main goal of adapting to the evolving challenges facing young people, as well as those arising from the postcolonial political scene, while keeping in mind future challenges.
