• Nearly 150 delegates from 17 countries met in Dakar to address youth job and education crises.
• Two in three young people in sub-Saharan Africa hold informal or vulnerable jobs, ILO says.
• Violence forced the closure of 14,000 schools in 2023, affecting 2.8 million children.

From August 26 to 28 in Dakar, about 150 delegates from 17 countries gathered for the annual West Africa and Sahel Youth Forum. Organized by the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), with support from other UN agencies, the meeting focused on the urgent challenges of jobs and education. The theme, Employment and education in emergencies for young women and men, reflected pressing concerns across the region.

Speakers included Assane Diallo, director general of Youth in Senegal, Barrie Freeman, UN deputy special representative for the region, and Coffi Agossou, ILO deputy regional director. They stressed the need for immediate action to counter worsening unemployment and exclusion.

The numbers highlight the scale of the crisis. According to the ILO’s World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023, nearly two out of three young people in sub-Saharan Africa work in vulnerable or informal jobs. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported that more than 14,000 schools were closed in West and Central Africa in 2023 due to violence and insecurity, leaving 2.8 million children without education.

Participants proposed concrete steps to create more decent jobs, expand access to education, and strengthen quality training, even during crises. The aim is to turn hardship into opportunities and build youth resilience.

Several initiatives were cited as examples. The African Union’s Youth for Peace (Y4P) program, launched in 2018 and reinforced in 2020 by the Continental Framework for Youth, Peace and Security (CFYPS), has trained young leaders and included their voices in peacebuilding across West Africa. In Nigeria, the Nigerian Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (NCYPS), created in 2021, has mobilized over 1,000 local organizations and partners to develop youth action plans in several states. These cases show that direct youth engagement and coordination between local and international actors are key to lasting solutions.

The success of these efforts will rely on governments, technical and financial partners, and above all the active involvement of young people themselves. Progress must be closely tracked and strategies adapted to ensure real impact.