Osman A. Ayariga, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s National Youth Authority, has warned that Africa’s growing labour challenge is not simply unemployment, but a deeper “unemployability crisis” driven by a mismatch between education outcomes and labour market demands.
Speaking at the Continental Youth Symposium on “African Youth at the Frontier of Technologies, Innovation, Sovereignty and Jobs in the Digital Age” in Tangier, Morocco, he said the continent’s youth population presents both an opportunity and an urgent policy challenge.
“Africa has the largest youth population globally, with roughly 60 per cent of our people under 25. That is an immense asset, and it is also an urgent task,” he noted.
Osman explained that while job creation has not kept pace with population growth, the more critical issue is the readiness of young people to access available opportunities.
He described the challenge as a structural gap affecting skills development, workforce capacity, and leadership exposure.
“The challenge is not simply unemployment; it is unemployability,” he said, adding that many young people possess formal education but lack the competencies required by employers and modern markets.
He outlined the problem as a three-part gap affecting the youth population: a skills gap, where training does not align with market needs; a capacity gap, linked to limited adaptive and human skills; and a leadership gap, reflecting insufficient youth participation in decision-making processes.
Osman stressed that addressing these gaps in isolation would not be sufficient, calling instead for a coordinated approach that aligns education, skills development, and leadership inclusion.
The remarks were delivered at the high-level symposium attended by policymakers, youth leaders, development partners, and representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Pan-African Youth Union, focusing on innovation ecosystems and the future of work in Africa.
