Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to account for more than 75 per cent of the increase in the global working-age population by 2050, adding an estimated 620 million to 625 million new workers.
The projection, contained in a recent World Bank assessment, highlights the region’s growing importance to the global labour market and its potential to contribute significantly to economic growth in the coming decades. The anticipated increase will largely stem from the region’s rapidly growing and youthful population, which will expand the pool of people entering the workforce.
However, the World Bank’s projection also underscores the need for countries across the region to create enough productive jobs to accommodate the growing working age population. The World Bank Group identified five sectors with strong potential to create local and resilient jobs on a large scale: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness and farming, healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing.
It also highlighted foundational infrastructure, a business-friendly environment and increased private capital investment as key conditions for expanding employment opportunities.
The region will therefore need to strengthen investments in education, vocational training, infrastructure and private-sector development to equip its growing workforce with relevant skills. Expanding access to quality education and skills development could also help African countries take advantage of emerging opportunities in technology, manufacturing, services and other sectors.
The projected demographic shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge for governments across Sub-Saharan Africa. A larger working age population could increase productivity, expand consumer markets and support economic development if countries successfully integrate more people into decent and productive employment.
The World Bank has repeatedly emphasised the importance of policies that can translate Africa’s demographic growth into economic gains, particularly by improving human capital and creating an environment where businesses can invest and generate jobs. With the region expected to contribute the largest share of new workers globally by 2050, its ability to harness this workforce could have significant implications not only for African economies but also for the global labour market.
By Musekir Faisat Omolara
