African youth employment drive

At the Africa Forward Summit in late July, Tony Elumelu, founder of Heirs Holdings, urged global leaders to prioritize private‑sector investment in jobs, reliable electricity and infrastructure as the key to unlocking Africa’s youthful population. He highlighted the success of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which has supported millions of young entrepreneurs and thousands of funded ventures, arguing that training, capital and a supportive environment are essential for African businesses to compete globally.

A week later, African political figures reinforced the call for action. Ghana’s Bernard Ahiafor, speaking to the Pan‑African Parliament, advocated coordinated government policies that promote job creation, entrepreneurship, technical‑skills training and digital inclusion, linking youth unemployment to climate change, food security, migration and the continent’s digital transformation. Former President John Dramani Mahama addressed young Africans and the diaspora, urging them to lead through innovation, integrity and enterprise, and emphasizing the need for quality education, democratic governance and supportive ecosystems to realize the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area and Agenda 2063.