Higher education must harness the energy of Africa’s ‘youthquake’

Professor Patrick Verkooijen is chancellor of the University of Nairobi and Ban Ki-moon Chair on Climate Adaptation Governance at the University of Groningen. 

Youth unemployment and under-employment across Africa represent a tragic missed opportunity for the continent and the world. One million young Africans enter the workforce every month, but only one in four finds a formal-sector job.

A world of limited jobs, few skills, and little hope. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In August, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned of an imminent ‘youthquake’ across Africa if job creation and employment did not improve quickly and dramatically.

The recent protests in Nairobi were a reminder – if any were needed – that young people are frustrated by the lack of opportunities to get ahead.

Africa has the youngest population in the world. By 2050, one in three people under the age of 25 will live on the continent, and the ILO estimates that 72.6 million new jobs will be needed for them.

No issue is more critical for social justice, for economic and political stability across Africa, and for the future of the global economy.

Educating for the future

In most African countries, secondary education is both compulsory and free. University enrolment has surged. At the University of Nairobi, where I am chancellor, I see so much energy and potential. This is the best-educated generation Kenya has ever had. 

Yet even university graduates struggle to find employment. The issue is not just a shortage of suitable jobs. Employers say young people are graduating without the real-world skills they need to join the workforce.

In fact, 70% of businesses in Kenya say they struggle to fill vacancies because job applicants lack effective communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork, or time-management skills.

As educators, this counts as a big fail. We are failing to prepare our students for the real world and we are failing their countries. We can and must do better.

A transformative plan

At the University of Nairobi, we are listening to our students and to what employers are telling us and we are embarking on a transformative journey to make higher education a gateway to the careers of the 21st century.

Our plan is based on five bold initiatives, new to the continent: an innovation park, a green jobs centre, a school of artificial intelligence (AI), an advanced health research institute, and a leadership institute.

Taken together, the ‘Big Five’ will modernise the curriculum, elevate our research capabilities, and forge partnerships with industry, entrepreneurs, and other global centres of excellence in education.

To help our students understand the forces shaping their world, our university will introduce mandatory courses in leadership, AI, and climate change. To better prepare them for the world of work, we will expand industry partnerships, placements and internships.

Nairobi is already a hub for entrepreneurship and Kenya is one of the top four markets in Africa for venture capital. Kenyan start-ups have raised more than $4.5 billion in funding over the past 10 years.

The university plans to establish an innovation park to bring academia closer to this thriving ecosystem to turbocharge Kenya’s ‘Silicon Savannah.’

Our leadership institute will respond directly to the need for better governance across the public and private sectors. At present, we hardly train leaders in Africa. Those who can afford it attend European and U.S. schools.

We need to develop a uniquely African perspective on leadership, just as we need to develop African science and innovation, and home-grown ways of solving problems and looking at the world. AI developed in Africa by African experts will respond far better to Africa’s unique 21^st century challenges than anything imported from the global North.

Partnerships are key

Some international and domestic partners are already backing our vision. The French Development Agency and Elgon Kenya, an agrochemicals manufacturer, for instance, are both supporting our planned innovation park.

But given domestic fiscal constraints, international finance is crucial. We must also be innovative, rethink traditional government-led funding models, and expand the opportunities for public-private partnerships. We also need more resources to be able to fund more scholarships and make education a true leveler.

As world leaders gather at the U.N. in New York, fit-for-purpose and inclusive education for Africa has to be top of their agenda.

Let us be reminded of the development dividends of education, as Nelson Mandela said: “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”