Unleashing the potential of Generation Z for food system transformation in Africa

Africa’s population is the youngest of any region, with more than 400 million young people aged 15 to 35 out of a total of 1.5 billion. But even though rising numbers of this cohort—a “youth bulge”—enter the labor market every year, African economies are still struggling to create opportunities for them, leading to high rates of youth unemployment across the continent. One-third of young people are unemployed, another third are vulnerably employed, and only one in six have wage employment. These measures show that Africa is lagging in efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 8 (target 8.6), which aims to “substantially reduce the share of young people not in employment, education or training” by 2030.