ACCRA, Ghana, July 15, 2026 – World Youth Skills Day: Young Africans cite inadequate training, lack of work experience as main barriers to youth employment, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey conducted across 38 African countries.
The survey shows that many young Africans believe they struggle to get jobs because they do not have enough training or the work experience employers are looking for. These two challenges remain the biggest obstacles to employment for young people across the continent.
The findings are based on interviews conducted in 2024 and 2025 with more than 50,000 people in 38 African countries. The survey aimed to understand young people’s views on employment, education, entrepreneurship, and migration.
Many young Africans would rather start their own businesses than work for the government, private companies, or non-governmental organisations. About half of respondents aged 18 to 35 said entrepreneurship is their preferred career path.
When asked what governments should invest in to improve the lives of young people, nearly half of respondents said creating more jobs should be the top priority. Others recommended improving education, expanding job training programmes, increasing access to business loans, and strengthening social services.
The survey also found that more than half of young Africans have thought about moving to another country. Most said they would consider leaving to find better job opportunities, start businesses, escape economic hardship, or improve their standard of living.
Besides inadequate training and lack of work experience, respondents also pointed to a mismatch between education and employers’ needs, limited entrepreneurial skills, and some young people’s unwillingness to take certain jobs, especially in agriculture and physically demanding work.
Countries with the highest number of young people considering migration include The Gambia, Cabo Verde, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, and Ghana, where many respondents said they had seriously considered moving abroad.
Afrobarometer, a pan-African and nonpartisan research network, conducted the survey through face-to-face interviews in respondents’ preferred languages. The study covered 50,961 interviews and provides nationally representative data on democracy, governance, and quality of life across Africa.
The findings highlight the urgent need for governments, education institutions, employers, and development partners to work together to improve skills training, create more employment opportunities, and support young entrepreneurs. These efforts could help more young Africans build successful careers and reduce the need to seek opportunities outside their home countries.