Millions of young Africans face limited job opportunities. YABs Network connects diaspora expertise, funding, and mentorship to empower job creators and build Africa’s next generation of leaders.
Update
Africa stands at a pivotal point in its economic and demographic trajectory. Over the next 25 years, the continent will add more working-age people to the global economy than any other region in the world, over 620 million by 2050. This unprecedented demographic expansion could catalyze a new African century. But only if matched by a corresponding leap in job creation, green energy development, and value-added industrial capacity.
The Songhai Exchange Paper is a strategic foresight document developed by Yabs Network to shape this conversation. It was written not as a policy pitch, but as a challenge to entrepreneurs, business leaders, diaspora professionals, and partners across Africa and Europe: to act early, think collaboratively, and build differently.
This paper informs the lead-up to the Songhai Business & Leadership Exchange, a strategic forum scheduled for February 2026 in Ghana. It aims to bring together forward-looking African and diaspora leaders in business, energy, and development to co-create pathways for Africa’s next phase of transformation.
Africa must create approximately 23 million jobs per year between now and 2050 to match the pace of its growing labour force. Most of its current employment growth is driven by small-scale, informal activity, not wage-creating enterprises or industrial jobs. Without a shift in trajectory, the youth dividend risks becoming a destabilizing burden.
Strategic responses include:
Investing in scalable ventures, not just micro-enterprises
Reorienting training and education systems toward job-ready skills
Building institutional ecosystems that favour employment and entrepreneurship over precarity
Africa possesses over 40% of the world’s renewable energy potential, yet it has received only 2% of global investment in renewables over the past decade. Meanwhile, over 600 million Africans remain without reliable electricity.
Green growth is not simply a climate imperative; it is an economic one. The paper argues for:
Decentralized renewable energy infrastructure, such as solar mini-grids
De-risking mechanisms for climate investment
Stronger skills pipelines (engineers, technicians, clean energy entrepreneurs)
Diaspora and European partnerships that facilitate co-ownership, technology transfer, and infrastructure development
The current model of exporting raw materials — cocoa, copper, and lithium — and importing finished goods remains economically unsustainable. Industrial policy must now focus on local value addition, regional value chains, and green infrastructure.
The paper outlines a vision for:
Modern manufacturing hubs powered by clean energy
Strategic use of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to scale up intra-African production and supply
Policy support for agro-processing, electric vehicle component assembly, and digital services
Crucially, Africa has a late-mover advantage: it can industrialize using cleaner inputs from the outset and appeal to global buyers seeking decarbonized supply chains.
“Crucially, Africa has a late-mover advantage.”
The European Union’s climate and migration strategies remain disconnected from the structural drivers of Africa’s development. The paper argues that Europe's most credible path to long-term stability lies in co-investing in Africa’s transition.
This includes:
Aligning climate finance with local ownership in the energy and industrial sectors
Shifting from extractive business models to co-creation with African SMEs and innovators
Supporting regional infrastructure — including power pool integration, trade corridors, and digital ecosystems
The African diaspora is often viewed primarily as a source of remittances or philanthropy. This paper reframes diaspora networks as infrastructure, with the potential to serve as capital, connection, and capability enablers.
Diaspora contributions can include:
Early-stage investment in growth ventures
Bridging access to foreign markets
Coaching and co-building alongside local entrepreneurs
Influencing policy and narrative through cross-continental visibility
Africa's future is not determined by its demographic curve, mineral reserves, or donor relationships. It will be shaped by whether its business leaders, diaspora communities, and global partners choose foresight over fragmentation — action over analysis.
The Songhai Exchange Paper lays out a vision that is ambitious but grounded. It challenges the African private sector to lead the next phase of development through innovation, value creation, and bold coalition-building. It also challenges Europe to move beyond border management and aid, and to step into a new role as a co-investor in Africa’s green, industrial transformation.
The upcoming Songhai Business & Leadership Exchange in 2026 will convene actors ready to think and act on this agenda. We invite all forward-looking stakeholders — across Africa, the diaspora, and Europe — to read the paper, reflect on its implications, and prepare to help shape a shared future.
Download the full paper here → https://bit.ly/4o1YpYG
Contact us → info@yabsnetwork.org
Follow the campaign → #SonghaiExchange #YourAfricaBoost
From right: Loic De Cannière, Oscar Yaw Asamoah, Mouctar Bah
I had an invitation to participate in the presentation of the book: The Future of Employment in Africa by Loic De Cannière in Brussels, and it was more than just a book launch, it was a strategic conversation about one of the most urgent economic questions of our time: how to unlock Africa’s demographic dividend through investment, innovation, and collaboration.
Bringing together business leaders, policymakers, investors, and diaspora actors, the event shed light on what is required to shift the trajectory of employment in Africa, not just through charity or policy declarations, but through bold, private-sector-led action with global relevance.
Loic De Cannière, founder of Incofin Investment Management, began his remarks by addressing a problem that’s both intellectual and practical: the future of Africa is grossly understudied. “Much has been written about Africa’s past, its colonisation, conflicts, and crises, but far less about its future,” he remarked.
For Mr. De Cannière, this imbalance is not just an academic oversight; it’s a strategic failure. If we are to respond meaningfully to Africa’s demographic, technological, and environmental transitions, we must ground our efforts in rigorous, forward-looking analysis, one based on lived experiences on the ground, not outdated tropes or high-level abstractions.
Equally critical, he noted, is dismantling the dominant representation of Africa in commercial media, one saturated with images of poverty, hunger, and instability. While these challenges are real, they obscure what Mr. De Cannière calls “Africa’s dynamism” which is the resourcefulness, innovation, and entrepreneurial drive that is alive across the continent. “There is an African Renaissance taking place,” he asserted, “even if it remains modest, fragmented, and undercapitalised.”
He issued a direct appeal to European policymakers: prioritise Africa. Not as a humanitarian afterthought or a geopolitical pawn, but as a strategic partner in solving global challenges such as labour shortages, climate adaptation, and sustainable growth.
This call for prioritisation was echoed and sharpened by Joris Totté, CEO of BIO Invest, Belgium’s development finance institution. Totté offered a grounded assessment of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative which is a multi-billion-euro framework aimed at fostering investment in strategic sectors globally, including in Africa.
While optimistic about the potential of the initiative, Mr. Totté issued a strong caution: “There is nothing more dangerous than investment driven by politics.” Although public interests and foreign policy can shape strategic directions, actual investment decisions must remain economically sound and impact-driven.
He pointed to the risk of geopolitical interference in funding allocations which can lead to financing the wrong businesses for the wrong reasons, which would not only waste resources but also erode trust in public-private partnerships. His solution: anchor investments in local, scalable private enterprises that demonstrate good governance, environmental responsibility, and the potential for sustainable job creation.
Mr. Totté's comments reframed the “Marshall Plan for Africa”, a phrase gaining traction in policy circles which is not as a one-size-fits-all package, but as a targeted effort to back viable businesses with the power to grow jobs at scale, especially in green industries, digital transformation, and inclusive infrastructure.
What emerged from all speakers including the likes of H.E. Bitange Ndemo who is Kenya's Ambassador to Belgium & EU and Professor of Entrepreneurship, Mouctar Bah, who is the President Brussels Africa Hub, Christopher Egnankou, President Madiba Club at Solvay Brussels School of Economics and management and from moderator John Vandaele’s from Mo*Magazine concluding reflections, is a singular insight: Africa has potential, but potential without investment is inertia.
As The Future of Employment in Africa outlines, the continent faces five structural challenges:
Demographic pressure with a doubling population by 2050
Informal sector dominance, which remains low in productivity and security
Skills mismatches that leave youth underprepared for modern jobs
Digital exclusion that limits global integration
Climate stress, particularly in agriculture-dependent economies
Yet the book is not a catalogue of problems. It is a call to unlock Africa’s demographic dividend by leveraging five interconnected opportunities:
A tech-savvy, youthful workforce ready to become a global talent hub
The power of digitalisation to reduce costs and broaden access
The rise of market-creating innovations driven by local entrepreneurs
A green economy in need of investments, from renewables to waste recycling
Employer optimism in Sub-Saharan Africa as a future skills hotspot
To seize these opportunities, De Cannière proposes concrete pathways:
Massive investment in human capital (education, technical skills, lifelong learning)
Scalable digital infrastructure and access
Formal job creation strategies across sectors
Purpose-driven use of AI tailored to African contexts
Climate-aligned green growth investment frameworks
The event was not just a showcase of ideas, it was a mirror held up to all of us who are active in development, investment, or entrepreneurship in Africa. Whether you are part of the diaspora, a policy strategist, a VC fund manager, or an NGO leader, The Future of Employment in Africa provides a useful framework to align your efforts with the continent’s needs and aspirations.
It is not enough to admire Africa’s potential from afar. It is time to act on it, through smart capital, inclusive partnerships, and locally grounded strategies. And, as Mr. De Cannière underscores, to do so with a forward-looking mindset that breaks with outdated images and embraces the continent’s role in shaping the global economy of the 21st century.
I strongly recommend The Future of Employment in Africa to anyone seeking to understand not just what Africa is facing, but what it can become. Let it challenge your assumptions. Let it inspire new partnerships. And above all, let it guide concrete actions in your work, investments, or advocacy.
What do you think about the future of work in Africa?
Let’s continue the conversation.
The African Professional as a Bridge
Insights from the Diaspora Network Brunch
In August 2025, Yabs Network hosted the Diaspora Network Brunch in Antwerp to convene African professionals, entrepreneurs, and changemakers living in Belgium. The objective was clear: to explore how diaspora professionals can contribute more intentionally to building Africa’s future — not just through sentiment, but through skills, collaboration, and structure.
Rather than focusing solely on keynote speeches or expert panels, the event was designed to listen deeply to the community. Participants were asked to reflect on three prompts: what expertise they bring, what barriers they face in contributing to Africa’s growth, and what kinds of initiatives they would like to build. Their responses revealed valuable insights that can inform both diaspora engagement strategy and transnational development planning.
Participants described a wide spectrum of professional and leadership capabilities. These included hard skills in fields like medicine, engineering, IT, law, and sales, as well as soft skills such as adaptability, leadership, creative direction, and organising.
Importantly, several individuals described themselves as “connectors” or “inspirers” — signalling not just a functional expertise but a desire to mobilise networks and foster collaboration. The talent is not only present — it’s ready to be activated.
When reflecting on barriers, participants surfaced a mix of structural, psychological, and relational challenges. Structural issues included governance constraints, underdeveloped infrastructure, and limited access to funding. But just as significant were the emotional and cultural barriers: mistrust, fear of failure, feelings of disconnection from the continent, and the difficulty of navigating dual identities.
This points to a broader truth about diaspora engagement: technical expertise is only part of the equation. Successful contribution also requires cultural fluency, psychological safety, and long-term strategy.
The most striking insight came from the kinds of initiatives participants said they would like to contribute to. These ranged from education and training exchanges, to agriculture and logistics ventures, to cultural initiatives such as creative agencies and music festivals. Several proposed structured partnerships between European institutions and African counterparts — such as inter-company exchange programs or multinationals expanding into African markets.
There was a strong orientation toward actionable, collaborative, and sector-specific efforts. Many ideas reflected a hybrid logic: combining entrepreneurship with social impact, or technical disciplines with cultural relevance. This suggests a maturity in thinking — diaspora professionals aren’t simply seeking to give back, but to build forward.
Three strategic implications stand out:
Map and mobilise skills intentionally
Rather than general appeals to "give back," diaspora organisations should create mechanisms to connect professionals by sector, interest, and geography.
Address soft barriers with equal urgency
Trust, identity, and fear of failure are real and often under-discussed. Providing spaces to navigate these tensions is essential to unlocking diaspora potential.
Invest in structured collaboration models
One-off events are not enough. What’s needed are scalable, repeatable programs that link diaspora expertise to African initiatives in education, business, and public service.
Africa's development is not only a question of what happens on the continent — it’s also shaped by how its global citizens are organised, resourced, and connected. The African diaspora holds enormous potential to serve as a bridge, not only in theory but in practice.
The brunch made one thing clear: the talent is ready. Now, the challenge is building the structures and partnerships to channel it.
“A job is more than just a paycheck; it is the key to dignity, stability, and the ability to contribute to society.”
– OYA –
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