"Unlocking Energy, Jobs And Opportunity For Africa\u2019s Growing Young Population"

" Unlocking Energy, Jobs And Opportunity For Africa\u2019s Growing Young Population \r\n\r\nLocal entrepreneurs drop by to commission bespoke machinery. A solar-powered maize processing machine serves farmers across the region. Young apprentices learn new technical and digital skills.\r\n\r\nThe scene contrasts sharply with 2019 when Cyclone Idai ripped through the area, tearing down power lines and shuttering businesses. For months, workshop owner Jacob Mukunukuji and his neighbors struggled with expensive, noisy diesel generators that could barely power basic tools, let alone the heavy-duty machinery that Jacob\u2019s burgeoning business demanded.\r\n\r\n\u201cHaving electricity is very important,\u201d Jacob, 31, says (pictured above). \u201cIf I want to fabricate metal to any extent, I\u2019m able to do it because there\u2019s plenty of electricity.\u201d\r\n\r\nOf the 685 million people across the world who lack access to electricity, nearly \u00a0600 million \u00a0live in sub-Saharan Africa. Students are unable to study after nightfall. Businesses cannot thrive. And local and national economies falter for want of power to run businesses, create jobs and grow.\r\n\r\nAt the same time, Africa has the world\u2019s fastest growing, and youngest, population. More than 60% of people are under 25 years old. According to the UN\u2019s Economic Commision for Africa, the continent\u2019s youth population is expected to grow by \u00a0138 million \u00a0in the next 25 years.\r\n\r\nThis is both a huge challenge \u2013 and an opportunity. At the current rate of growth, Africa will not be able to create enough good, dignified jobs for its growing population. And with so many lacking access to both electricity, and to the finance, training and business support to accelerate its uptake, realizing the necessary economic growth will be hard.\r\n\r\nYet, with the right investment,\u202f Africa can unlock trillions in growth and become a key driver of global economic resilience and clean energy innovation. Africa\u2019s abundant natural resources and renewable energy potential alone could create up to \u00a0100 million \u00a0new and improved jobs and livelihoods by 2050.\r\n\r\nWith the right support, Africa\u2019s energetic young workforce could help the continent leapfrog traditional fuels and power a bright, clean and prosperous future, becoming both the drivers and the beneficiaries of this transformation.\u00a0 \u202f\u202f \r\n\r\nAccess to electricity, paired with apprenticeships, technical training and finance, can empower them to grow businesses and fuel progress across multiple sectors from agriculture and manufacturing, to energy leadership and beyond. With clean, affordable, and stable energy, young people have more opportunities to further their education, build skills, start businesses, and help others progress.\r\n\r\nConsider Hasmia Sidratu Bangura from Sierra Leone. After a clean energy traineeship program, this young engineering graduate became a field technician at a renewable energy company, sharing the skills she gained to power her country\u2019s sustainable growth.\r\n\r\nIn Nigeria\u2019s Kiguna Community, women fishers made use of innovative financing to obtain a solar-powered cold storage facility, reviving local commerce and bringing new life to their community. \u201cNow our food doesn\u2019t spoil, and we don\u2019t need to sell it cheaply,\u201d\u00a0 says fish trader and entrepreneur Blessing Bitrus .\r\n\r\nIn Kenya, John Masha Ngowa\u2019s barbershop in Tezo operates well into the evening thanks to off-grid solar power.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, in Zimbabwe, Jacob\u2019s workshop regularly hosts apprenticeships. Last year, four students earned certificates in welding and fabrication, opening doors to new careers.\r\n\r\nOur five organizations \u2013 the World Bank and the African Development Bank, supported by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and The Rockefeller Foundation with its charitable offshoot, RF Catalytic Capital \u2013 are united to accelerate this growth.\r\n\r\nMission 300 is our bold initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. By pooling resources, influence, and expertise and partnering with governments, businesses, and communities we are transforming energy markets, scaling finance, and helping governments set and deliver on national energy goals.\r\n\r\nAnd we are committed to ensuring electricity access is paired with the right tools, finance, and training to upskill a dynamic young workforce and spark a ripple effect of innovation, entrepreneurship, and jobs.\r\n\r\nThe power line that reconnected Jacob and his community to electricity was funded by the African Development Bank.\r\n\r\nThe solar power and cold storage that transformed Blessing\u2019s community was enabled by GEAPP and partners.\r\n\r\nThe training that allowed Hasmia to advance her clean energy career, was provided by SEforALL, equipping young energy professionals across Africa to lead sustainable energy development.\r\n\r\nThe mini-grids powering schools and businesses in rural Kenya were supported by the World Bank\u2019s\u00a0 Off Grid Solar Access Project \u00a0bringing solar mini grids to power schools, health clinics, and homes \u2013 and benefitting 1.5 million people.\r\n\r\nThe task ahead is immense and critically urgent. As we gather at the Africa Energy Forum and Youth Energy Summit, we are proud to join youth voices to deliver this message to policymakers, investors and partners: Let\u2019s accelerate energy access, alongside investment in talent and workforce development.\r\n\r\nBy investing in Africa\u2019s youth,\u00a0 Mission 300 \u00a0is ensuring that every new electricity connection is a stepping stone for jobs and growth, paving the way to Africa\u2019s energy-rich and prosperous future.\r\n\r\n "

"Unlocking Energy, Jobs And Opportunity For Africa\u2019s Growing Young Population"

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