Africa: No economic growth without structural transformation and decent jobs, says ILO
Creating sustainable decent jobs through structural transformation for Africa’s youth is a central role to be played by the business community alongside governments and workers’ organizations in the region: ILO
NAIVASHA, KENYA (ILO News) – For economic transformation, sustained growth and decent employment to occur, African governments, in partnership with the private sectors and workers’ representatives, need to address one of the key challenges of our time – creating decent jobs for Africa’s youthful population, stated ILO Regional Director for Africa, Aeneas Chuma, at the first African employers’ summit in Naivasha, Kenya.
“Given its commendable economic growth over the past decade, Africa is now widely viewed as a new frontier for opportunity and a potential growth pole. But, has this growth significantly uplifted the quality of life of the vast majority of African peoples?” asked Aeneas C. Chuma underlining the main theme of the Summit on “Promoting Business Growth and Entrepreneurship for Job Creation”.
The ILO Head for Africa urged decision-makers to address key binding constraints, including bridging the infrastructure gap; deepening regional integration; building a capable workforce while expanding employment opportunities and embrace digital technology.
Africa’s trajectory over the last decade has opened up new and large opportunities for transformational growth and development but “the high commodity demand that has underpinned recent growth trends is not invulnerable – the slowdown or re-orientation we now observe in the Chinese economy or the protracted decline in oil prices are having an adverse impact on a number of African commodity exporters. And a failure to build a strong economic development base that gives opportunity to young, urbanizing populations could generate instability that could reverse the current gains”, Chuma warned.
The First African employers’ summit is taking place from 5-7 May 2016 in Naivasha, Kenya in the presence of H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, ILO Director General Guy Ryder, the Assistant-Director General and Regional Director for Africa, Aeneas C. Chuma as well as Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo.
