Africa / AfDB-OECD Conference On Youth Employment in West Africa

The Government of Senegal hosted the West Africa Regional Conference on Youth Employment on Saturday, November 10 in Dakar. The one-day conference, co-organized by the African Development Bank and the OECD Development Centre, brought together West African Ministers, youth organizations, civil society and the private sector.

The conference received the special attendance of H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, and was coached by Moroccan businessman and former producer of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Richard Attias, and Didier Acouetey, President of AfricSearch and co-organizer of the Africa South East Business Forum. The conference was opened by Moubarak Lô, Cabinet Minister and Advisor to Senegalese President Macky Sall; Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister of Belgium and Deputy Secretary General of the OECD; Obasanjo; and Leila Mokadem, the Bank’s Resident Representative in Dakar. Senegal’s Minister of Finance, Amadou Kane, chaired the event.

The conference covered two broad themes:

a) Creating the education models, training opportunities and skills needed for Africa’s youth and development in West Africa; and

b) Setting strategies for job creation, economic policies and business models for the region.

Youth unemployment levels in West Africa are among the world’s highest, hovering at over 25 per cent, according to the International Labour Organization. Africa has a very young population that is growing fast and there is a strong need to capture the demographic dividend of Africa’s population growth…

Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from

via allAfrica.com: Senegal Hosts AfDB-OECD Conference On Youth Employment in West Africa.