Policy highlights:

  • In many Sub-Saharan African countries, the informal sector employs 90% of the economically active population. Investing in skills development in the informal sector is, therefore, central to the continent’s sustainable development.
  • The majority of informal sector workers are trained within the sector itself and for many higher education graduates the informal sector constitutes the only way of finding a job. This means that for sustainable skills development, policymakers should move away from programmes in formal institutes of education and towards training in the informal sector.
  • Measures to build skills in the informal sector include: 1) implementing programmes targeting educated young people, as they have the most potential to make a decent living and boost the growth of the sector as a whole; 2) providing apprenticeships on a large scale, as on-the-job learning is the most common way for youth to acquire employment; and 3) making sure that policies and programmes are also implemented in rural sectors.
Share this post

Related items

Green jobs & the future of work in Africa: the story of Olivia Onyemaobi and Pad-Up Creations

In this video, we present the story of Olivia Onyemaobi, Nigerian entrepreneur and founder of Pad-Up Creations, a social enterprise producing affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads in partnership with CFYE.

Digital Skills for Youth Employment in Africa

Digitalisation and technological advancements are changing the world of work and the skills needed for employment. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone an estimated 230 million jobs will require digital skills within the next decade offering employment opportunities for its ever growing youth population. However, young people in Africa face several barriers that prevent them to obtain the types of skills required for employment. The evidence synthesis paper published by INCLUDE explores the challenges and opportunities of this digital transformation and presents recommendations of how to equip Africa’s youth for the future of work.

+3
By Ruth van de Velde +3 more
A decent proposal: self-employment for women in Uganda

This blog is part of a case study that examined decent work in the context of the work lives of self-employed and rural women in central Uganda in collaboration with 100WEEKS, a cash transfer graduation programme.

Six key insights for green jobs for youth in Africa

The African green transition has the potential to create a plurality of job opportunities that help tackle the negative consequences of climate change: green jobs. To find out what is needed to facilitate green jobs for young people in Africa, INCLUDE and Palladium engaged in a collaborative research project in the context of the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment.

Siri profile picture
youth at work 2 pager
Youth @ Work: 5 pathways for change

How to address the African missing job crisis through green and digital jobs, while assuring that none is left behind? INCLUDE's recently published evidence synthesis paper series provides a number of potential solutions: they were discussed in the webinar series Youth@Work, from which we present five key insights.

Maya Turolla Profile