This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
As we look to the future, one thing is clear: the nature of work is changing fast. In Africa, where 375 million young people are set to enter the labour market by 2030, the question on everyone's mind is how they will find meaningful, dignified livelihoods.
According to Ms. Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, the continent's youthful dynamism is poised to make this an African century. However, helping this rising generation fulfill that promise will require transformation, not only of particular economic sectors, but of how we think about work itself.
Ms. Roy notes that the traditional image of formal, white-collar work in established sectors for established firms or the government will no longer be enough. Instead, we must reckon with how young Africans actually work today and how they're most likely to find work tomorrow.
One example of this is the urban farmers in Kibera, Nairobi, who have created a thriving business by starting an urban farm. Purity Kendi and Phenny Omondi, Mastercard Foundation Scholar alumni, have already broken ground on new sites and trained over 100 women and young people in urban farming.
Ms. Roy emphasizes that making the invisible visible requires everyone engaged in shaping Africa's economic future to be at once more pragmatic and more imaginative. This means treating gaps in African economies as opportunities for entrepreneurship and 'leapfrogging' innovation, and seeing not just the value of existing work but the potential additional commercial and social opportunities around it.
As technology continues to play a larger role in work, there is an insatiable demand for young people with digital skills. Digitalising Africa's businesses can create new businesses and entire new sectors, as work begets work and opportunity begets opportunity.
However, this will only happen if people have access to information, knowledge, and skills. To that end, the Mastercard Foundation has set the goal, in partnership with African organisations and young people, to co-create strategies that will help 30 million people across Africa to find dignified, fulfilling work over the next decade.
Ms. Roy concludes that there is no silver bullet, but success is closer than it might seem. There are opportunities all around us, and we just need to make them visible and real – and give young people the tools to do the rest.
Ms. Roy is the President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation.
