This month, the World Bank in collaboration with Africa Gathering (AG), a public forum in hosting series of brainstorming sessions on youth employment in Africa.

They are being held in Ghana, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In Ghana, the forum was held on Friday, April 20 in Accra and is expected to be held in Kenya on Tuesday, April 24 and DRC on Friday, April 27.

A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency said: “We want to hear from Africa’s young people themselves about how we can do more to create good paying jobs. These sessions are vital to hear directly from them. ”

It said the World Bank was creating a report on youth employment in Africa, where inputs from the continent’s youth were paramount.

“The brainstorming sessions will be held to collect real-time feedback, which will be reviewed and highlighted in the report...

“There are an estimated seven to 10 million young people seeking employment every year in Africa. Even countries that are reducing poverty at a rapid rate, such as Ethiopia, have not solved the youth employment challenge.

“ If Africa’s youth cannot find productive jobs, the continent will not only fail to sustain growth and poverty reduction, it risks periods of civil unrest as experienced in the Middle East and North Africa recently, because the expectations of these young people, fuelled by growth and globalisation, will be unfulfilled,” it added.

AG draws inspiration from the traditional symbolic African Baobab tree, the place where people can gather to share knowledge, exchange ideas and learn from each other.

Under AGs tree, all speak openly, from activators to innovators, from artists to technologists.

“Under our tree we celebrate the change-makers and their work, we connect them to like-minded people, and we share their passion for a positive Africa. Gathered under this tree, we bring African ideas and innovations to the rest of the world so that they can be recognised, used and celebrated.

We provide an online and offline exchange forum that allows ordinary but amazingly talented African activators, to champion their projects and concepts so that their achievements can be given exposure, gain momentum and attract interest from a global audience,” it said.**