IOE\nmembers from West and Central Africa came together in Banjul, The Gambia at the\nend of March to attend the 3rd Pan African Youth Conference and to hold talks\non matters of common concern in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Co-organised\nby The Gambia National Youth Council and the African Youth Commission (AYC)\nSecretariat, and with the theme: \u201cThe Future is Now \u2013 Youth are not too young\nto lead\u201d, the Pan African Youth Conference was co-hosted by the Gambian\ngovernment, the UN system in The Gambia, Kanifing Municipal Council, The Gambia\nChamber of Commerce and Industry, and Child Fund International The Gambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nparticipation of IOE, which was enabled by the IOE-EU partnership, signalled a\nstrong willingness by the members in the region to include Africa\u2019s young\npeople in the policy discourse on youth employment, as well as on skills and\nbusiness development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IOE\nmembers joined a cohort of 300 youth leaders from across the continent for\ndiscussions that took place against a backdrop of growing youth unemployment\nand diminishing opportunities in \u2018traditional\u2019 forms of work due to low\nproductivity; the collapse of the commodity boom; skills gaps; global\ncompetition; and the adoption of new technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turning\nattention to the pressing need for measures to address skills development and\nthe lack of jobs in the region, IOE hosted a side event on 24 March on \u2018the\nFuture of Skills and Jobs in Africa\u2019, providing a space for young people to\nengage with employers\u2019 organisations (EOs) on the key trends underpinning the\nfuture of jobs and skills and to encourage dialogue on employment and\nentrepreneurship policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IOE\nconstituency subsequently met to consolidate the key EO takeaways for\nintegrating youth into policy- and decision-making processes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n