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WITH SO much transformation happening at today’s workplace, what is the next generation of work and how do we prepare Africa’s youth for these jobs over and above the usual “youth” buzzwords and countless conferences on Africa?
According to the Africa Development Bank, Africa’s youth population is expected to double to over 830 million by 2050.
AfDB’s data also shows that of the continent’s nearly 420 million youth aged 15-35, one-third are unemployed and discouraged, another third are vulnerably employed, and only one in six is in wage employment.
Globally, the African youth is the centre of attraction. The United Nations World Population Division approximates that by the year 2050, 25 per cent of the world’s population will be African.
The median age for Africa is around 19 years. On the flipside, developed countries are faced with the problem of an ageing population.
World Health Organisation says that the number of people aged 65 or older is projected to grow to nearly 1.5 billion in 2050, from an estimated 524 million in 2010.
This points to the fact that the world will increasingly rely on the African youth to drive the next industrial revolution, so how does the continent equip them with the relevant skills?
The African youth then needs to understand the evolution of employment and what knowledge they require for the future.
They need to understand, too, that the Fourth Industrial revolution — the digital revolution — is happening and be prepared for it.
The future is big data. Data has surpassed oil to become the most valuable resource in the world today.
Like oil in the early 19th century, big data is today’s key economic driver and the force behind the fourth industrial revolution.
According to The Economist, the five biggest technology firms: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft collectively racked up over $25 billion in net profit for the first time in the first quarter of 2017.
Today, Amazon captures half of all dollars spent online in America.
Big data and artificial intelligence are fast transforming the workplace today and are expected to accelerate even faster as we approach 2021.
According to Deloitte, the global spending on artificial intelligence is expected to rise to $56 billion in 2021, from $12 billion in 2017.
McKinsey Global also estimates that artificial intelligence could potentially deliver additional economic output of about $13 trillion by 2030, boosting the global GDP by about 1.2 per cent a year.
As companies continue to adopt artificial intelligence and big data, Africa needs to go back to the drawing board and audit its education curriculum on whether it speaks to the global labour needs.
In 10 years time, will African youth be ready to harness opportunities in data to make decisions to power artificial intelligence? It is about time we set the pace!
Israel and other developed nations including Germany and the UK have introduced computer science into their school programmes.
Africa needs to follow these steps or innovate better programmes to prepare our youth and enable them to be more competitive on the global stage.
Such disruptive measures will require deliberate action and commitment from leaders. We know what awaits us in the future, let us get to work and prepare youth for it.
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