The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have jointly unveiled a new system designed to directly tackle Africa’s youth unemployment crisis by embedding youth-focused priorities into all AfDB-funded development projects.
Dubbed the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System (YJSMS), the initiative was announced in recognition of World Youth Skills Day (July 15). It aims to ensure youth employment, entrepreneurship, and relevant skills training are central components of development financing across the continent.
Addressing a Critical Gap: The launch responds to the urgent need to create opportunities for Africa’s rapidly growing youth population. Each year, 10-12 million young Africans enter a labour market generating only about 3 million formal jobs, leaving a massive employment gap.
How the System Works: The YJSMS structures its approach around three core pillars integrated into project design and evaluation:
Youth: Directly supporting youth-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through targeted investments and integration into projects.
Skills: Expanding access to practical, market-relevant training and apprenticeships to enhance employability.
Jobs: Ensuring AfDB-funded projects actively generate sustainable employment opportunities, particularly by developing youth skills and promoting youth-led businesses in key sectors like agriculture, energy, and transport.
Tracking Impact: A key feature is a real-time digital dashboard that will track and assess the youth-focused outcomes of projects. Sectors like agriculture, energy, water, transport, and education will now be systematically evaluated for their impact on youth employability and enterprise creation.
Implementation: A pilot phase of the YJSMS is currently underway. The AfDB and ILO, which is providing technical support, plan for full-scale implementation across all relevant AfDB operations by 2026.
Endorsement: Peter van Rooij, ILO Director of Multilateral Partnerships and Development Cooperation, emphasized the initiative’s significance: “The initiative is very important because it allows us to significantly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8, which includes decent work for all.”
The YJSMS represents a systemic shift by the AfDB to ensure that “no development investment leaves young people behind,” directly targeting the continent’s pressing youth unemployment and skills mismatch challenges.
