Broadcast of panel (event) hosted at Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on the topic of Youth Entrepreneurship.
Breakout Session #1 -
Diverse Paths for Youth Entrepreneurship Youth populations are expected to rise considerably in the coming decades in a series of developing countries. By 2030, there will be over 3.3 billion people under the age of 25 (youth and children) in the world, mostly residing in Africa and Asia. The youth population (between the ages of 15 - 24) in Sub-Saharan Africa alone is expected to nearly double, from 207 million in 2018 to 407 million in 2050. Other challenges such as rising urbanization rates, technological changes, migration and trade will impact labor markets around the world. Technology will bring significant changes to the labor market. Some estimate that 65 percent of schoolchildren will work in jobs that do not exist today. Moreover, technology is already affecting the skills requirements of most occupations. As developing countries prepare for these changes, they must consider the skills necessary to equip youth for the future. It is important that future generations have adequate education and employment opportunities. Many young people will decide to become entrepreneurs – and they will need financial resources, mentorship and connections, access to technology, and a set of skills in order to succeed. We need to lay the groundwork for this now. We also need to become more serious about improving the quality of work for the future generations. Many of the jobs that are being created in the developing world are in the informal economy, with low earnings, low productivity, unsafe working conditions and outside legal protections. There is an imperative to improve: the quantity of jobs, quality of jobs and the education and training systems to better prepare workers for the needs of the labor market. This panel will feature three youth speakers from diverse international backgrounds, all of which are entrepreneurs in different sectors in their countries. The panel will focus on the entrepreneurship experiences of each panelist and identify some of the main challenges and opportunities to becoming an entrepreneur as a youth, how technology has impacted entrepreneurship, and what support is required to enable youth to solve social problems in their communities around the world.
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The Project on U.S. Leadership in Development at CSIS is hosting its 5th annual Global Development Forum (GDF) on April 11th, 2019. This half-day conference explores how the United States can work with the private sector, allies, civil societies, and multilateral institutions to tackle complex global challenges. This year's GDF is focused on the future directions for development. Panels will focus on urbanization in Africa, development finance, youth, human rights, long-term trends in development, and water sustainability. Each year the event has grown and expanded its reach. Last year’s GDF attracted over 500 attendees and over 40 high-level speakers. The 2018 Global Development Forum examined the role and purpose of official development assistance against a backdrop of rising incomes, economic growth, youth unemployment, and other continued complex challenges in many parts of the world. The overarching theme was “Getting from Billions to Trillions” in terms of development finance, highlighting the importance of leveraging the private sector and introducing public-private partnerships in getting there. During the fourth annual GDF, the hashtag “#CSISGDF” was the number one trending hashtag in the DC metro area.