Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Cape Verdean deputy prime minister today compared the growth of unemployment in Africa to an “atomic bomb”, which will be “a drama” if there is no acceleration of efforts to create opportunities for young people.
“We cannot maintain the ‘status quo’ on the African continent. Today we have a ‘gap’ [gap] in Africa of around 17.5 million jobs per year for our young people”, said Olavo Correia, at a public event at the Cape Verde Stock Exchange.
“That, over 10 years, means more than 175 million unemployed young people in Africa. For me, this is an atomic bomb that is in front of us, that is growing every day and, if we are unable to respond, it will be a drama”, added the government official, who is also Minister of Finance and Business Development and Minister of Digital Economy.
Olavo Correia called for a “change of ‘chip’, creating solutions to respond to demand in the labor market”, making Africa the continent of the 21st century.
Change must be based on combating bureaucracy – recognizing that, even in Cape Verde, it “kills” good ideas –, on the speed of responses and on projecting them with scale, to achieve more benefits.
“We have great potential for growth, for opportunities, which often die in the web of bureaucracy and, for me, that hurts a lot”, he said, questioning the stance of middle managers in public administration.
If current economic growth rates continue, the situation “will be a drama for the African continent, with unemployed young people, without hope, without positive expectations, looking at emigration in dramatic conditions”.
“If we keep everything constant, as it is today, in Africa and in Cape Verde, we will not be able to respond to the demand of young people, because we cannot continue to insist on incremental gains”, he said, asking, instead, “changes disruptive”.
He cited as an example the distribution of 300 job creation kits, annually, by his business development team, recognizing that the number must reach 3,000 per year.
“We cannot continue to grow at 5% [per year], even if it is a good level of growth in relation to the African continent, because it is not enough to meet the demand of the job market in Cape Verde,” he said.
“We have to look at energy, air, sea and land connectivity”, he added, with regard to sectoral activity, but pointing out the financial sector – addressing those present, in the BVC room – and the Government itself as key players central to create more opportunities.
“We have to invest in bold, transformative solutions,” he said.
Job creation was one of the two priority issues for Cape Verde highlighted today by the deputy prime minister, Olavo Correia, along with the production of electricity from renewable sources, abandoning fuels, due to costs, pollution and dependence on abroad.
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