Africa’s Demographic Dividend: Fact or Farce?

Africa is experiencing demographic changes that point to increased growth in its youth population. Africa’s youth bulge can translate into a growing labour force that could be a source of exponential growth if there are jobs to absorb them, or into a source of instability on the continent if left unattended. It is estimated than 450 million young people will enter Africa’s labour force by the year 2030. The obvious benefits of such labour force growth feeds into the narrative of a demographic dividend for the continent. This article discusses the prospects of realising these dividends in selected African countries by drawing on the findings of a six country study conducted by the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) in the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The study found that the enabling environment required to realise the demographic dividends are largely absent in the six countries surveyed. Despite the existence of wellcrafted youth development policies, there has been challenges with successful implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies. This article outlines in detail some of these specific areas that need policy attention and recommends some solutions that could be leveraged to address these challenges.