By Chifundo Mulekano
African youth leaders, academics and development practitioners have called for urgent structural reforms in education, governance and industrial systems to transform Africas growing youth population into an economic advantage.
The call was made on Wednesday during an Africa Day youth dialogue held under the theme: What needs to change for Africas young population to become an economic advantage rather than an unemployment crisis?
Panellists observed that despite Africas rapidly growing youth population, the continent continues to face challenges such as limited job creation, skills mismatches and weak industrial growth.
Speaking during the dialogue, education expert from the University of Malawi, Rosalyn Dzanja, said African universities need to move away from theory-based learning towards experiential education.
She proposed compulsory internships, community engagement and stronger collaboration between universities and industry to equip graduates with practical skills.
“Universities should not operate in isolation and students must graduate with real workplace experience and problem-solving skills,” said Dzanja.
Climate governance expert from Nigeria, Ibrahim Mohammed, said Africas unemployment challenge is also linked to climate change and economic structures, noting that many young people depend on agriculture which is increasingly affected by droughts and floods.
He also criticised the continued export of raw materials from Africa, saying the trend limits industrial growth and job creation on the continent.
“We export lithium and other raw materials but import finished products which means we export jobs and import unemployment,” he said.
Zimbabwean youth activist, Ennie Tembo, emphasised the need for investment in infrastructure, trade systems and digital connectivity, saying weak roads, high business costs and informality continue to exclude many young people from formal economic participation.
The dialogue also highlighted the importance of investing in creative industries, vocational training, digital innovation and agro-processing, with panellists agreeing that Africas youth challenge is largely a systems failure rather than a population problem.
Emerging Public Leaders of Malawis Impact Series team, which organised the dialogue, said the discussions would contribute to ongoing continental conversations on youth employment, governance and sustainable development across Africa.
