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Rethinking skills in Africa: a lever for sovereignty, employment and productive transformation

Africa is entering a decisive decade. In 2024, with the continent posting average growth of 3.5 per cent, above the world average, one question matters above the rest: how do you turn that growth into concrete opportunities for young people?

The report “Africa's Development Dynamics 2024: Skills, Jobs and Productivity”, produced jointly by the African Union Commission and the OECD, answers it plainly: Africa's future depends on turning its vast pool of talent into engines of economic and social transformation.

Ubuntu University · 2 July 2026 · 2 min read

What to take from it

  1. The skills gap holds the continent back.
    • In 2022, more than one young African in four was out of school, out of work and out of training.
    • 82 per cent of African workers are in the informal sector.
    • The continent's GDP could be multiplied by 22 if every child mastered basic skills.
  2. Three strategic levers stand out:
    • Build national skills strategies aligned with the sectors that are growing.
    • Widen access to quality education and vocational training, above all for vulnerable groups.
    • Push for ambitious regional cooperation on skills policy.
  3. Sector opportunities to take in every region:
    • Mining skills in Southern and Central Africa.
    • Digital skills in East Africa.
    • Renewable energy skills in North Africa.
    • Agri-food skills in West Africa.

Ubuntu University, at the heart of this shift

At Ubuntu University, we hold that every young African carries transformative potential. This report confirms our conviction that developing skills is not an option but a strategic emergency.

That is why our programmes rest on five pillars:

  • Ethical leadership and soft skills
  • Entrepreneurship and frugal innovation
  • Digital skills and the technologies ahead
  • Solving complex problems
  • Strategic posture and collective intelligence

How we read it: an invitation to build tomorrow's Africa together

This report is more than a statistical snapshot. It sets out a road map for a continent that refuses to have its future handed to it. It calls on universities, governments, startups, communities and young people to cooperate, innovate and learn together.

At Ubuntu University, we take that call head on.

Going further

Read the full report here: https://doi.org/10.1787/b25ee3a9-fr

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