Why formal jobs remain out of reach for Africa's youth
Work Life
By
David Njaaga
| May 05, 2026
LEAP Africa stakeholders and partners pose during a youth leadership forum.. [Courtesy]
Africa creates about three million formal jobs annually, against up to 12 million young people entering the labour market each year, widening unemployment and distrust in public institutions.
The imbalance has left many graduates competing for unstable work, low pay and opportunities that fail to match their qualifications as African cities struggle with rising populations and pressure on housing, transport and public services.
In many urban centres, young people with university and postgraduate degrees now face shrinking formal employment opportunities, forcing some into temporary work, informal sector jobs or long periods of unemployment despite years of education.
Nearly nine million young Africans each year end up in low-productivity informal work such as food delivery, street vending and gig economy jobs that offer limited income growth or social mobility, according to Uganda’s Economic Policy Research Centre.
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The crisis remains acute in Kenya, where most new jobs continue to emerge in the informal sector. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said the economy created 848,200 jobs in 2023, with 85 per cent falling under informal employment.
A World Bank report also found that Kenyan graduates take an average of five years to secure employment after completing studies.
Youth advocates say the crisis now stretches beyond unemployment, with growing numbers of young people feeling excluded from economic systems and disconnected from institutions meant to support them.
LEAP Africa Executive Director Kehinde Ayeni said the widening gap between education and employment opportunities continues to shape how young Africans view governance, democracy and economic mobility.
“Somewhere in Lagos, Nairobi, or Accra right now, a twenty-six-year-old with a postgraduate degree is applying for a job that did not exist five years ago, at a salary that will not cover rent,” said Ayeni.
Research by Afrobarometer, based on 53,444 face-to-face interviews across 39 African countries, found that young Africans still support democracy but increasingly distrust public institutions and political leaders.
“Young Africans have not given up on democratic values. They have given up on specific institutions, and the distinction matters enormously,” noted Ayeni.
Ayeni also questioned donor funding models used in many youth development programmes across Africa, saying short-term grants often fail to support lasting institutional change.
“Leadership that changes institutions does not operate on that timeline,” explained Ayeni.
Ayeni added that many programmes collapse after initial training because organisations struggle to secure long-term funding for mentorship, civic engagement and follow-up support.
LEAP Africa said its programmes have reached more than 7,100 young people through initiatives focused on leadership, accountability and community engagement across the continent.
Sub-Saharan Africa will need to create an estimated 15 million new jobs annually by 2030 to absorb new labour market entrants, according to the Mastercard Foundation Africa Youth Employment Outlook 2026.