How are you directly or indirectly tackling unemployment in Africa?

Every day, through the work we do with young people in schools and universities across Africa, we are struck by the vast amount of economic and creative potential that they represent. As entrepreneurs and business leaders, we are privileged to be able to work with these people – they are the individuals who, given the chance, will go on to be the employers and business leaders of the future.
And yet there is the most important point: these people will only ever realise their potential if they have the opportunity to do so. Tragically, far too many Africans – particularly younger people – are struggling to find work or are under-employed in roles that don’t pay enough or train and develop them.
Tackling the problem of unemployment in Africa
It is a challenge that is hitting Africa’s young talent particularly hard. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), youth unemployment is up to 30 per cent this year already. That is a shocking total – almost a third of young people across the continent aren’t being given the opportunity to earn money for themselves, to contribute economically to their families and their communities, or to develop professionally. Even more worryingly, it seems that these young people are far more likely to be unemployed than adults (by a factor of up to three and half times).
So, how do we address this problem? Of course, there is no single, simple answer. But from our position as successful entrepreneurs, it is clear there are a number of strategies that we can implement that will begin to make a positive impact on employment rates. For me, these break down into a couple of key areas:
Promoting a culture of equal opportunity
Encouraging entrepreneurship
Creating equal opportunities for all