The Economic Commission for Africa and NKC African Economics (an Oxford Economics company) launched a joint report on “Best Practices in Job Creation, lessons from Africa.”
“This report is the first result of the collaboration between the ECA Office for North Africa and NKC African economics. Through this document, we are sharing successful job creation policies with the hope that they will provide insights and learning for other countries across the region”, said Amal Elbeshbishi, Economic Affairs Officer in charge of employment at the ECA Office for North Africa.
This new report reveals that “a focus on skills development and education not only improves employability, but also provides the youth with the tools needed to be successful in entrepreneurship endeavours. Meanwhile, fiscal pressures have intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will become increasingly imperative [for governments] to partner with the private sector to implement employment creation initiatives”, according to Cobus de Hart, Head of Consulting at NKC African Economics.
Skills Development, Education and PPPs Key for Successful Job Creation in Africa
Gates Foundation Commits $2.1 Billion to Advance Gender Equality Globally
As part of the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a commitment of $2.1 billion over the next five years to advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen women and girls’ health and family planning, and accelerate women’s leadership.
The forum takes place in Paris from June 30 to July 2, 2021, bringing together governments, the private sector, and civil society partners to commit to specific actions and announce financial, political, and programmatic commitments that will accelerate gender equality and advance women’s rights. Not since the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, when 47,000 participants and activists traveled to Beijing, has the world come together to take ambitious action that will have a transformational impact for women and girls.
“The world has been fighting for gender equality for decades, but progress has been slow. Now is the chance to reignite a movement and deliver real change,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “The beauty of our fight for gender equality is that every human being will gain from it. We must seize this moment to build a better, more equal future.”
With return to peace, Somali children look to the future with hope
Thirteen-year-old Ahmed Abdinur Abukar dreams of being a teacher. This year, in May, he took an important step towards realising that dream and sat for the national Primary Education Certificate examinations in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education says over 60 000 students across the country sat for their end of year national examinations for primary and secondary school in May and June, a continuation of a positive trajectory in the education sector thanks to the return of relative peace and security after years of war, turmoil and ruin. The improved security continues to remarkably increase student enrollment in school. So, too, an improvement in the quality of education.
The Federal Government of Somalia has invested heavily in education. In the 2021 budget, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education was allocated US$10.5 million most of which, according to education officials, has gone into the rehabilitation and construction of schools and offices to accommodate the huge number of school enrolment since the government introduced free primary and secondary school education.
Former African heads of state appeal for international solidarity
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a global success story, with 43 countries having eliminated an NTD. However, the UK government has decided to withdraw £150 million in funding to tackle these diseases funding that would have delivered over 250 million treatments this year alone. In response, 33 former heads of state have called upon the “international community and humanitarian assistance agencies to mobilize the requisite aid resources in an attempt to avoid further loss of life.”
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) like blinding trachoma and intestinal worms are preventable and treatable, yet they still affect 1.7 billion people around the world. By preventing children from going to school and adults from being able to work, NTDs trap individuals and whole communities in cycles of extreme poverty.
The UK’s decision to withdraw funding effectively abandons over 200 million of Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable people that it promised to support. Out of the 26 countries affected by these aid cuts, 24 are in Africa.
