This online event will disseminate the conclusions of analytical briefs on Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda and a cross-country review on youth employment, school-to-work transition and the impact of COVID-19 on youth labour market outcomes in the African region. It will also underpin the ongoing engagements on promoting decent work for youth in the African region, and explore possibilities for shaping follow up actions in line with the ILO’s Youth Employment Action Plan (YEAP) 2020-30.

Background

In order to support regional and country level engagements on promoting decent work for young people in the African region, in 2019 the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Mastercard Foundation launched a project to provide comprehensive national-level data on youth in the labour market, including indicators on the transition from school to work. During that one-year project, the Mastercard Foundation supported the ILO in creating a new, regularly updated database, called YouthSTATS. It provides a comprehensive set of indicators on the labour market situation of people in the 15-29 age group and serves as a central repository of international youth labour statistics.

In 2020, the COVID-19 induced crisis has been particularly severe for young people across three dimensions: (1) disruptions to education, training and work-based learning; (2) increased difficulties for young jobseekers and new labour market entrants; and (3) job and income losses, along with deteriorating quality of employment. Young people in Africa have had to face the consequences of the recent setbacks to the global economy. The COVID-19 pandemic put significant socio-economic pressure on the region, with the impacts of global and local lockdowns, value chain disruptions and widespread economic downturns making themselves felt. There is also the potential permanent damage wreaked by these crises on the fabric of labour markets in the region.

Against this background, the ILO and the Mastercard Foundation have initiated a follow-up work that has envisaged the production of analytical briefs on Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda and an overview on youth employment, school-to-work transition and the impact of COVID-19 on youth labour market outcomes in the African region based on the YouthSTATS data and the ILO’s Employment Policy Gateway youth employment strategies section.

Agenda

15:00 – 15:05  Opening and high-level event overview, Sara Elder, Head of Employment Assessment and Economic Policies Unit, International Labour Organization

15:05 – 15:10  Overview of Mastercard Foundation Research Programme, Eunice Muthengi, Director of Strategic and Program Research at Mastercard Foundation

15:10 – 15:20  Introduction to YouthStats, Vipasana Karkee, Statistician, Data Production and Analysis Unit, International Labour Organization

15:20 – 15:35  Presenting the results of the analysis, Niall O'Higgins, Senior Employment Research and Technical Specialist, Employment Analyses and Economic Policies Unit, International Labour Organization

15:35 – 15:40  Reflections on youth employment and labour market deficits, Alice Mukashyaka, Advocacy Manager for Livelihoods and Education, Restless Development Rwanda

15:40 – 15:50  Questions & Answers

15:50 – 16:05  African Union – ILO Strategy on Youth Employment in Africa, Jonas Bausch, Youth Employment Specialist, ILO Regional Office for Africa 

16:05 – 16:10  Reflections on youth employment priorities and solutions, Nestor Atukwatse, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator, Restless Development Uganda

16:10 – 16:25  Open exchange and discussion

16:25 – 16:30  Concluding observations & wrap up

Moderator: Sara Elder, Head of Employment Assessment and Economic Policies Unit, International Labour Organization

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