On the occasion of the International Youth Day, the African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) joins millions of young African workers to promote the recognition of young people as key actors for social change, economic growth and sustainable development in Africa and around the world.
Faced with a changing world of work, the trade union movement is celebrating this year’s International Youth Day with a focus on the future of work for young people and future generations.
The current growing economic model around the world, including Africa, is the result of the profound structural changes due to the increase of global competition, socio-political developments and especially the new revolution in technologies. The development of technologies now offers to companies the opportunity to produce more, at lower costs and above all with a minimum labor force.
To all this is added the rapid growth of the young population in Africa. According to projections by the World Bank, the African population is expected to increase to 3 billion by 2063, of which 30% will be between the ages of 15 and 24. This poses serious challenges to young people’s access to education, training and to the labor market.
Given these worrying data, it is crucial for our African countries to have a new vision of their employment policies and to develop a new approach to the integration of young people into the labor market.
We therefore call African governments to define new economic strategies while taking care to establish a favorable business climate by establishing economic governance based on the promotion of equal opportunities for all.
It is also important to prepare the new African generations now for the economic opportunities of the 21st century by establishing wider links between the labor market and the education and training system.
We demand from our states the implementation of measures to professionalize the work of young people and to introduce relevant training programs in higher education and other similar training institutions while giving special access to entrepreneurship.
We call on our African trade union leaders to encourage the creation of youth structures and to encourage their active participation in decision-making bodies within the union.
It is an undeniable truth that young people are the essence and foundation of society. As a result, there is a need to increase awareness and commitment of young people to equitable access to employment and to equitable remuneration for all young people and to ensure protection against discrimination without any distinction whatsoever.
Long live the youth.
Best wishes on International Youth Day to all.
Kwasi Adu-Amankwah
General Secretary