United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has called on African leaders and stakeholders to move away from mere policy formulation and fragmented pilot projects, and instead focus on initiatives that deliver broad, tangible transformation. Speaking today at the Africa Development Impact Forum (ADIF) in Addis Ababa, the Deputy Secretary-General noted that while the African continent is rich in valuable ideas and strategies on what works, the central and defining bottleneck remains implementation.
According to Amina Mohammed, the continental Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Pact for the Future require actions that go beyond commitments. She emphasized that designed strategies can only transform people’s daily lives if they are matched with concrete delivery and actual work. Focusing particularly on the urgency of creating vast opportunities for Africa’s youth, the Deputy Secretary-General described young people as the continent’s greatest asset and called for investment in sustainable, inclusive, and decent employment.
She also pointed to the need to exploit the potential of digital transformation to expand service access, open new markets, and increase productivity. While successful models already exist across sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, the digital economy, green jobs, creative industries, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, she noted with regret that these efforts too often remain fragmented and isolated, failing to replicate and evolve into long-term continental transformation. Consequently, she urged governments to lead with vision, the private sector to drive innovation and investment, development partners to align behind continental priorities, and young innovators to be central to designing future solutions.
On his part, Claver Gatete, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), stated that Africa’s future will increasingly hinge on its ability to meet the needs of its growing population by mobilizing domestic resources, attracting investment, building competitive industries, and generating sustainable employment. He pointed out that while artificial intelligence (AI) is currently reshaping industries and labor markets, international development assistance and financing conditions are tightening, meaning governments can no longer rely solely on the scale of external support seen in previous years.
Stating that Africa’s most important strategic asset is its people, the Executive Secretary noted that more than 60 percent of Africans are under the age of 25, making the continent the youngest globally. By 2035, Africa is expected to possess the world’s largest workforce. However, Gatete cautioned that this demographic advantage will not automatically translate into prosperity. While more than 15 million young Africans enter the labor market each year seeking opportunity, data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that 53 million young people were not in employment, education, or training in 2023. Even many of those who do find work remain concentrated in informal and low-productivity sectors.
Yet, Africa possesses the key ingredients required for economic transformation, including entrepreneurial talent, renewable energy, critical minerals vital to the global energy transition, expanding digital ecosystems, and the opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This free trade area could raise intra-African trade by up to 45 percent by 2045, opening massive avenues for industrialization and the creation of millions of jobs. In conclusion, Gatete outlined the priorities needed to strengthen inclusive and job-rich growth: developing skills aligned with a changing economy, shifting focus from mere start-ups to scaling enterprises that can grow and compete, and accelerating industrialization and value addition.
