Leveraging digital innovation for inclusive youth development

Abstract

Digital technology supports the reduction of youth unemployment through different opportunity channels and promotes socioeconomic development. Africa’s youth bulge and its unintended consequences such as unemployment can be mitigated by the opportunities digital innovation offers. Inadequate strategic partnerships, inadequate access to finance and infrastructure, and skill gaps are some of the key challenges that the continent battles with. Strategic partnerships are needed to support the dissemination of key digital technologies to boost job creation. Partnerships ensure that young people gain experience in the best institutions to harness their potential to build on their ideas. Areas where policy can create an enabling environment to support such ventures are benefits such as tax reductions, tax holidays, low interest and other incentives. Innovative finance mechanisms such as angel investing, crowdfunding and venture capital are ways that young people can obtain finance for their entrepreneurial activities. Young people must be equipped with a range of technological skills adaptable to their businesses and situations, have affordable access to connectivity and be sustained. To achieve the vision of the African Union Agenda 2063, stakeholders must work to ensure digital innovation tools are affordable and commercially available, and that there is the right infrastructure for easy uptake by young people to support development on the continent.