Youth unemployment a ‘ticking bomb’ for security in West Africa: UN study
Increasing levels of youth unemployment in impoverished West Africa, where almost three quarters of the population is
under 30, poses a serious threat to the security and stability of the whole region, the United Nations Special
Representative for the area warned today, highlighting the findings of a UN study looking at ways to diffuse this
“ticking bomb.”
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa, said prospects for peace in
the war-wracked region were limited because of the frustrations and social instability caused by so many young people
not having jobs, his Office (UNOWA) said in a press release issued from Senegal.
“The future of the entire region is threatened by the growing numbers of youth who lack prospects of ever being able to
work for a reasonable living. Until this situation changes, the likelihood of having genuine peace, security and
development in West Africa will remain small,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.
The Special Representative briefed a panel in New York earlier this week on ways to improve the situation, which was
described as a “ticking bomb” for West Africa. The report outlined several priorities, including the need to combat
corruption, ways to involve the private sector more and how to improve schemes for apprenticeship and vocational
training of young people.
“Unemployment feeds violence, and violence feeds unemployment,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah, told reporters on Thursday, again
emphasizing the linkage between unemployed youths and violence, and calling on national Governments in the region to
review their job-creation practices.
Recommendations from UNOWA’s “Youth Unemployment and Regional Insecurity in West Africa” study were directed at
governments of the sub-region, donor countries, international organizations and the private sector. This week’s panel
meeting in New York was preparation for the upcoming high-level UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) gathering that
will focus on “productive employment and decent work for all.”