Tackling unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa with Evidence: Launching the Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa Portfolio
Roughly one-third of Africa’s 420 million youth, aged 15–35, are out of work and have stopped looking for jobs, another third have unstable employment, and only a small fraction—about one in six—have secure, stable, salaried positions. Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is also on track to double to 2 billion by 2050, driving unprecedented demographic growth.
To tackle this challenge, J-PAL Africa has officially launched the Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa (JEA) Portfolio, supported by generous seed funding from the Kuo Sharper Foundation. The portfolio aims to identify high-impact and cost-effective strategies to promote growth for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a route to job creation. By forging new innovative research partnerships, sharing actionable insights, leveraging administrative data, and working hand-in-hand with policymakers and private sector leaders, JEA seeks to create lasting solutions to one of the continent's most pressing challenges.
The portfolio represents a powerful opportunity for researchers, policymakers, and private sector leaders to work together toward a shared goal: to create evidence-based policies that unlock the potential of African SMEs and, in turn, foster sustainable employment across the continent.
Read the full article here to learn more about J-PAL Africa Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Africa (JEA) Portfolio.