ILO at the World Economic Forum on Africa

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is attending for the second time the World Economic Forum on Africa which convenes hundreds leaders from government, private sector and civil society from 7-9 May in Abuja, Nigeria.

Mr Aeneas Chapinga Chuma, ILO Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Africa will be addressing various high profile sessions on “Unlocking Job-Creating Growth” including a key interactive panel entitled: Skills Gap to Lifelong Learning – How can innovative education and training partnerships create an adaptable workforce?

During this session on 8 May, the ILO Chief for Africa will highlight strategies for integrating the youth workforce, investing in skills and education to boost labour productivity, and promoting sectors with strong employment potential.

The ILO expertise will also be developed throughout additional sessions on Financial Inclusion – Seeking Sustainable Solutions as well as “Beyond GDP: From Aspiration to Action”. For the UN-specialised agency, unemployment is only part of the problem. African youth are more likely to be underemployed and among the working poor than their adult counterparts.

Today, 2/3 of African countries have made employment and particularly youth employment priorities within their development strategies. But during the three-day annual meeting, regional and global leaders will explore innovative structural reforms and investments that can sustain the continent’s growth while creating jobs through creative partnerships.

The 2013 World Economic Forum on Africa took place in Cape Town, South Africa.

For more detailed information and media queries, please contact ILO Africa Communication team (www.ilo.org/africa): [email protected], Tel: + 251/115-444415 or + 251/911-218115 or ILO Country Office in Abuja – [email protected] Tel: + Tel: + 234-8095995926, 234-8023169359