Background

Africa is anticipated to reach a population of 2.5 billion by 2050, with a current median age of 18.6, positioning it as the world's youngest continent. Projections indicate that the youth population aged 0-24 will grow to 945 million by 2050. Despite this significant youth demographic, one-third of working-age youth (aged 15-35) are unemployed, with young individuals comprising up to 60% of Africa's unemployed populace. An average of 11 million young people enter Africa's labour market annually, while the continent generates only 3.7 million jobs annually.

Within the context of these challenges, green technology is emerging as a potential avenue to address climate change, youth unemployment, and economic diversification in Africa. While these sectors are still relatively small across the continent, they are rapidly expanding. Despite the theoretical expectation that these sectors will be more conducive to youth employment than their non-green counterparts, their actual impact on youth employment still needs to be explored and assessed more adequately. As such, it is imperative to understand how policies, funding, and entrepreneurial decisions can drive improvements in youth employment outcomes within Africa's green technology sectors.

While Nigeria’s unemployment rate seems low (5.7%) compared to other African countries, its youth (aged 15-34) have the highest unemployment rates. Between 2012 and 2022, the working poverty rate (those employed but living below the poverty line) was over 40% for those aged 15 to 24. The mini-grid sector is a prime candidate for growth and innovation, promising to create meaningful job opportunities for the nation's youth. The off-grid distributed renewable energy sector (which includes pico-solar appliances, solar home systems, commercial and industrial standalone systems, and mini-grids) has already produced about 65,000 jobs. However, realising this potential necessitates supportive government policies and regulations. While policies and regulations already exist within the mini-grid technology sector, further research is essential to gauge their impact on youth job creation and alignment with national youth employment policies.

The Event

To this end, Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) in partnership with Clean Technology Hub and the Mastercard Foundation, is convening a roundtable discussion event to unveil the initial findings from their study on policy and regulatory frameworks in mini-grids and youth employment in Nigeria. The event will delve into the following key areas: