By 2050, Africa will be home to an additional 1.2 billion people. More than 47 million young people will enter the labor market every year looking for jobs and regional development strategies are set to play a major role in helping the continent overcome structural challenges and take advantage of the demographic boom.
So what is atop Africa’s development agenda in the years beyond 2015, particularly in light of the newly ratified Sustainable Development Goals, the debates around financing for development, policy responses to climate change, the impact of the continent’s future demographic development and its ongoing economic transformation?
Clearly there is a place for more robust strategies including job creation, improvement to education, measures aimed at bolstering fiscal capacities and developing cities as poles of regional growth. But what about the role of rural development?
About the author
Musa Okwonga
Musa Okwonga is a journalist, poet, broadcaster, musician, and PR consultant currently based in Berlin, Germany. He has written for several publications, including The Guardian, The New Statesman, ESPN and The New York Times, and is the author of two books on football, the first of which, A Cultured Left Foot, was nominated for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Find out more about his work at www.okwonga.com.
