Work and income for youth is one of the most urgent policy challenges in Africa and is a key issue in the new Dutch Policy on Foreign Trade and Development. INCLUDE is joining forces with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and International Labour Organization (ILO) to identify innovative and inclusive approaches that provide lasting solutions to youth unemployment, generate new jobs and economic opportunities, and prepare young men and women in Africa for future work. We previously launched a call for concept notes for research on ‘Boosting decent employment for Africa’s youth’ (update: closed). Our goal is to support action-oriented research that helps design effective and innovative interventions that aim to scale up action and impact on youth employment under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The newly-formed research initiative is a strategic building block in a partnership that aims to boost decent employment for youth in Africa. It looks to fill the knowledge gaps in research identified during the Youth Employment conference hosted by INCLUDE in May 2017 and is in line with the new Dutch Policy on Foreign Trade and Development. The initiative aims to provide key insights, practical guidance, and tools to policymakers and practitioners to help them bring about large-scale positive change in youth employment. It is strategically placed within the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, an alliance of committed partners taking action at country and regional levels, sharing knowledge and leveraging resources for more and better jobs for youth as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Through this initiative, INCLUDE and its partners will support three interrelated activities:
- Action-oriented research and a knowledge synthesis on interventions that address the key constraints that hold young women and men back from improving their economic prospects and accessing decent work
- The identification of effective policies and interventions that promote employment-intensive and sustainable growth
- Knowledge brokering and dialogue to guide interventions and policies within and across countries in collaboration with key stakeholders, including young people
We are excited to kick start the initiative’s work soon!
