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Boosting Decent Employment for Africa’s Youth

Boosting Decent Employment for Africa’s Youth is a three-year partnership by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Dutch Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies (INCLUDE), and the International Labour Organization (ILO). It is a research initiative that aims to generate rigorous evidence on soft skills, digital jobs and work-based learning to boost decent jobs for youth.

Led by IDRC, a first cohort of eight research projects is underway in nine countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative, which involves more than 65 multidisciplinary researchers, focuses on generating new evidence, sharing knowledge and advocating for evidence-informed policy-making and programming.

Entity

Government or intergovernmental entity
  • Technical assistance, expertise and implementation
  • Policy, advocacy and convening power
  • Financial and/or in-kind contribution

Partners

  • Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies (INCLUDE)

    Technical assistance, expertise and implementation
    Policy, advocacy and convening power
    Financial and/or in-kind contribution

  • International Labour Organization (ILO)

    Technical assistance, expertise and implementation
    Policy, advocacy and convening power
    Financial and/or in-kind contribution

Sustainable Development Goals & targets

  • 8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
  • 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

Themes

  • Digital skills for youth
  • Quality apprenticeships
  • Other

Description

Boosting Decent Employment for Africa’s Youth aims to generate new evidence on how soft skills development, digital jobs and work-based learning can boost decent jobs for youth, synthesize and share evidence about why and how best to support youth employment, and develop a community of practice and engage youth to foster learning and policy outreach through multi-stakeholder dialogue within and between countries.

The initiative is a three-year partnership by IDRC, INCLUDE, and ILO and brings together the expertise of more than 65 multidisciplinary researchers from 18 research institutions based across the globe. Led by IDRC, a first cohort of eight research projects is underway now in a number of sub-Saharan African countries (Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda).Their results are expected to be widely relevant and to feed into discussions of youth employment across Africa.

This in-depth research will be complemented by evidence synthesis —bringing together information from a range of sources and disciplines. The synthesis will use existing knowledge about what works and what doesn’t on the job market for youth in different contexts, including low-income countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa.

Together with the in-depth studies, this research will provide key insights, practical guidance, and tools that policy-makers and practitioners can use to help improve employment outcomes for young people.

https://www.idrc.ca/youthemploymentafrica

Deliverables and links to SDG targets

  • 8
    Knowledge sharing or advocacy tactics on youth employment carried out, including events, campaigns and media items
    8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

    The 8 research teams will develop a research uptake strategy, with the objective of translating complex research into actionable knowledge. This will include engagement activities with key audiences and stakeholders in various forums and the dissemination of findings/results through a variety of channels including print, electronic and social media.  

    BY:
    Jan 2022
  • 40
    Youth employment stakeholders supported through technical assistance, capacity-building or peer learning
    8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

    It is expected that each of the eight research projects engage a minimum of five stakeholders throughout research activities and provide them with a space for knowledge exchange and peer-learning activities on youth employment. These include policymakers, practitioners, youth leaders and private sector actors.

     

    BY:
    Jan 2022
  • 16
    Knowledge products on youth employment developed
    8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

    The research initiative focuses on generating evidence, sharing knowledge and advocating for evidence-informed decision-making.

    It is expected that the 8 research teams will produce at least two knowledge products each: one for an academic audience (journal article or working paper) and one for a public audience (policy brief, blog, audio-visual).

    BY:
    Jan 2022
Benin
China
Kenya
Mozambique
Algeria
Senegal
United Republic of Tanzania
Rwanda
South Africa

Start

1-Jan-2019

End

1-Jan-2022

Target: 15-19, 20-24, 25-29

Primarily:
  • Young people in urban areas
  • Young people in rural areas
  • Young women
  • Young men

Gallery

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