“Youth employment is a pressing challenge throughout sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) today. With a median age of only 24 projected
by 2050, the UN estimates that Africa’s 15-24 year-old age group will swell by about six million each year for the next
decade. Most young people in the region work in low-income and low-productivity jobs. Improving these outcomes is critical, given the region’s large youth bulge and the potential development
spillovers that go along with a productive and engaged youth cohort. The purpose of this paper is to take stock of what we know about youth employment in sub-Saharan Africa and to identify research that could address policy-relevant knowledge gaps. It
is based on a review of the available grey and academic literature, from both international and regional sources.”
