By Elizabeth Orchardson – Mazrui
Elizabeth Orchardson-Mazrui taught in the Fine Arts Department in Kenyatta University and has been closely involved with Kenya’s art and artists.
Africa Looks To Its Entrepreneurs | The Youth Cafe
A useful strategy in the toolbox to reduce youth unemployment
BY RAPHAEL OBONYO
With a majority of African nations diversifying from traditional sources of income, entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a key to economic growth. So far, entrepreneurship has yielded huge returns for entrepreneurs, and according to experts, there lies great untapped potential to drive the African continent into its next phase of development.
Morocco: Creating IT Opportunities For Self-Starting Youth | The Youth Cafe
BY KACI RACELMA
Soufian El-Kherchi, an intern at Clean Rabat, a small organization in Morocco’s capital, spent most of his days giving information technology support and setting up its network.
Bustling with ideas and plans for the future, Mr. El-Kherchi, a computer science major, looked forward to formal employment after his internship. However, one day he got thinking about starting his own IT business.
Young Women Breaking Into The Male-Dominated ICT World | The Youth Cafe
One of Africa’s leading tech start-up spreads its wings
BY KWAMBOKA OYARO
It was a bright morning in March 2010, when a group of tech-savvy youths converged at a small hall in Nairobi to discuss innovation and technology. Four young women exchanged phone numbers, clearly excited by plans they shared that would put some of the novel ideas they discussed to good use.
It’s Time For Young People To Get Political | The Youth Cafe
Zambia’s youngest mayor urges youth to get active in politics
BY MWIKA SIMBEYE
For many young people in Africa, a university degree opens the door to a decent job and a comfortable life. At university, however, not every student will focus on their studies; some often lose concentration as they enjoy a new-found freedom from what they perceive as the overbearing influence of parents or guardians.
The New Face of Farming: Youth Making Agribusiness ‘Cool’ | The Youth CafF
Botswana’s Mavis Nduchwa, 33, owns an animal feed farm that grows grains and legumes
BY IHUOMA ATANGA
Run a quick Google search on African women making it in business, and you will rarely find a young woman engaged in rural farming. But Mavis Nduchwa has challenged norms by founding and successfully managing a commercial animal feed farm in Botswana.
Africa's Jobless Youth Cast A Shadow Over Economic Growth | The Youth Cafe
Leaders put job-creation programmes on the front burner
BY KINGSLEY IGHOBOR
African governments are confronting unemployment in many different ways. In Senegal, with 200,000 Senegalese joining the labour market each year, President Macky Sall launched a programme in February 2013 to create 30,000 jobs within a year and possibly 300,000 by 2017. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is financing some of Senegal’s self-employment programmes for youth and women.
Youth & Political Participation | The Youth Cafe
Youth discontented with politics yet less likely to vie or even vote
BY FRANCK KUWONU
When law enforcement officers rounded up a group of political demonstrators in The Gambia’s capital, Banjul, in December 2016, most of those arrested were young people. They were protesting against The Gambia’s then president Yahya Jammeh’s decision to stay in office after having initially conceded defeat to his electoral opponent, Adama Barrow. Under sustained local and international pressure, he finally relinquished power and went into exile.
Training Africa’s Young Techies | The Youth Cafe
Knowledge Economy Appeals To Youth | The Youth Cafe
Two years ago Gakawa Secondary School had no internet access. But thanks to an initiative by Mawingu Networks, a solar-powered internet service provider, rural Kenyan youth are going online for the first time, and with amazing results. High school students like Karue, who didn’t know how to use a keyboard, much less a search engine, are now Googling entry requirements for information technology programmes at Nairobi universities.