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Youth Unemployment And Its Effects

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Youth unemployment and its effects of the Development in Africa The United Nations defines youth as, persons between the ages of 15-24. Unemployment is defined as the state in which a person does not have a job. It is also a frequently cited measure to determine the state of development in an area of interest. Young people aged between 15 and 25 make up 60% of Africa’s population. That figure translates to 200 million youth, and that number is projected to double by 2045. This means that Africa, as a continent has the youngest population in the world. With all of these young people, is it untapped potential or a ticking time-bomb? Youth are essential to the mobilization and development in Africa because of their large presence. As the common saying goes, “There is power in numbers”, and that saying does not come short in this case. These individuals aged 15-25, are the future. They will be assuming power, and driving the very economic state in their respective countries. But how will they be able to assume such a large responsibility, and implement positive change if they are not given the opportunity or the resources? It’s as if they are not integrated in society yet, not taken seriously. Anthropologist Ancinda Honwana terms this period “waithood”, which is defined as that prolonged stage between childhood and adulthood, a phenomenon resulting from failed neoliberal and global socioeconomic and political crises.
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