Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Tuesday, raised the alarm that youth unemployment rate in Africa is one of the highest in the world.
He added that African countries must urgently commit to lowering this rate through a combination of efforts including functional education, entrepreneurial training, provision of job opportunities and the enabling environment for investment and growth of small and medium-scale enterprises.
Obasanjo, who is the Chairman, Africa Progress Group, APG said this while delivering his speech at the public presentation of the 2020 APG Report.
He said that African countries should show more responsiveness to making their populations more of an asset than a burden.
His words: “For the avoidance of doubt, APG is not queuing behind the proposition for policies such as one child or two per family as we have in some regions of the world. Our position is rested on the belief that population, large or small, can be harnessed as asset rather than a burden.
Besides, the variability in socio-cultural positions on family planning by different African communities should be respected but properly managed. Africa’s growing population if well managed will yield huge dividends for national and regional development.”
“In the report, we have provided over 150 strategic options for African countries in all sectors in managing their populations ranging from providing quality education for all, through investment in food and nutrition security, health security, environmental security, sustainable housing for all, to entrepreneurship and employment security.
“Youth unemployment rate in Africa is one of the highest in the world. African countries must urgently commit to lowering this rate through a combination of efforts including functional education, entrepreneurial training, and provision of job opportunities and the enabling environment for investment and growth of small and medium-scale enterprises.
“The sensitive matter of population control in Africa should be approached in a socio-culturally contextual manner while recognising that uncontrolled population without appropriate safety nets for making the growing population live healthy and productive lives are inimical to national development. African governments should apply global best practices as it suits their socio-cultural sensitivities.
