“In many parts of the world, and also here in the Netherlands and the EU, youth employment is a very difficult issue to tackle. Everyone is aware that young people need jobs but it is quite difficult to create them in times of either economic crisis or population growth. So, sharing expertise, sharing experiences is very important because we have to be creative, use new technologies but also use knowledge from different parts of the world”, said Lilianne Ploumen, Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, in an interview with INCLUDE.

The interview was held after Minister Ploumen gave her opening speech at the conference ‘Boosting youth employment in Africa’ that was organized by INCLUDE and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague on 30 May.

Reflecting on why it is important to boost youth employment in Africa, Minister Ploumen said that “governments need to make sure they remove obstacles so that young people are able to earn land and have a bank account, for example. The private sector needs to invest – also in rural areas, in small scale farmers, in sectors where many young people are working.”

Watch the full interview:

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