Creating opportunities for youth entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship has the potential to offer innovative solutions for economic growth, enabling job creation rather than job seeking and helping to fight youth unemployment, particularly in developing countries.

Research shows that sub-Saharan Africa has the youngest population in the world, with a predicted 60% of Africans being under the age of 25 in the next 30 years. Youth are seen as particularly suited to entrepreneurship, demonstrating qualities such as innovation and the intuitive use of technology. Youth skills development programs are seen as important tools for young people to embark on  entrepreneurial career paths.

Non-profit organisation IYF South Africa asserts that its high impact training empowers young people with key skills to develop entrepreneurial skills through continuous investment made by organisations in information technology (IT) across all sectors.  The organisation’s skills training programmes aims to develop highly skilled youth in the IT sector as well as develop curricula that reflects constant innovation and change in the IT field.

IYF South Africa with the support and funding of Google.org is currently deploying digital and entrepreneurial skills programs for young people in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. Participating youth are taught business, technical, and life skills as part of the Skills for Success (S4S) program, with the aim of improving skills and employability of young participants. In addition, S4S collaborates with placement partners to provide work opportunities for newly qualified youth.

“This programme taught me the basics of UX design, the design thinking process, how to build prototypes for testing with users, conduct UX research, and design responsive websites. With this knowledge, my design skills keep improving daily, and I can see myself making a living doing what I love,” says Diane Shamaki, a learner from Nigeria (Paradigm Initiative)

The organisation says that at least 40% of learners who complete the programme have successfully found employment in all three countries. Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises are said to make up 95% of all businesses and create 80% of all jobs in Africa and include a significant portion of young entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship among youth is recognised not only for its ability to create jobs and empower young people but also for its ability to integrate young people into society, especially those with few opportunities.

IYF SA country director Anusha Naicker affirms: "The entrepreneurial component of the programme provides guidance and business acumen that are essential for business success. As a result, there is growing confidence among young African entrepreneurs that they can start a business that solves many of the challenges facing their communities.”