Creating meaningful work for Africa’s expanding youth population is becoming even more challenging now that AI is eliminating the limited white-collar jobs that affluent young Africans used to aspire to, says Nolita Mvunelo. A co-director of The 50%, a global network advocating for greater youth-led participation in policymaking, business, environmental, and climate leadership, the 26-year-old South African-born engineer is also the Club of Rome’s Principal for Cultural Transformation. Both roles demand that she pays close attention to the impact of emerging technologies and systems stubbornly resisting critical transformation for young people across the world.
“You don’t really need lawyers or accountants in the same way you would have before this moment, and entry-level jobs are being eviscerated because everything a young person entering the job market could do can now can potentially be automated,” she says.
In the past, countries looking to create opportunities for their citizens had an obvious answer: by creating an environment that investors deemed stable and profitable enough to drive industrialisation quickly, opportunities for young people entering the job market would open up. “But we can’t do that anymore,” says Mvunelo, citing the challenges of climate change resilience and adaptation when it comes to stability in developing countries. “No one has the answers, and this is frustrating young Africans,” she adds.
As she sees it, investing in education systems that enable young people to be entrepreneurial and create sustainable development opportunities themselves is key. But, she argues, education alone is not enough. After all, “what use is a degree, or being entrepreneurial without the ability to raise the capital necessary to start a business? There needs to be investment in young people,” she notes.
We need to mobilise investment around the big-picture ideas young people across the continent have, continues Mvunelo, citing the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO). Founded in Accra in 2014, GAYO was the 2025 Winner of The Earthshot Prize. An example of the type of opportunity industrious young Africans are creating for themselves from the ground up, GAYO is a blueprint for a problem-solving ethos that tackles systemic challenges affecting the entire world. Based in Ghana, GAYO now operates in five countries across Africa, engaging young people on environmental and climate issues while encouraging entrepreneurial approaches.
Mvunelo also points to the Green Generation Initiative, led by 30-year-old climate activist Elizabeth Wathut. Promoting environmental education across Kenya, this exciting organisation is focused on environmental restoration, among other activities. Meanwhile, in Tunisia, Aya Chebbi, a 37-year-old former African Union youth envoy, has founded the Nala Feminist Collective (NALAFEM), an organisation preparing young women to enter public office.
“She’s putting her social capital behind young women and encouraging them to get in and help fix the system. One of Nalafem’s fellows recently got appointed to a National Youth position for a major party in their home country, Kenya. They’re making real strides,” says Mvunelo.
The reason initiatives like these are succeeding is because they understand that you just can’t follow the traditional path of waiting your turn in a system that promises long-term rewards while stifling creativity. “We need big bets upfront,” Mvunelo says.
One of Mvunelo’s biggest concerns is how our cities are failing to support young people. “Take Cape Town, for example,”
she says. “It’s not a city with any planning geared to young people, most of whom cannot afford to rent a small apartment. Entry-level jobs pay between R10,000 (US$570) to R20,000 (just over US$1,000) while a studio apartment within 20-minutes of the city centre costs R8,000 (US$450) to R10,000.”
Young people across the continent are struggling. “Our cities are a direct hindrance to their success,” concludes Mvunelo.
