Description:

Africa is home to the youngest population globally, with over 400 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35. This demographic presents a significant opportunity to influence the shaping of a prosperous and sustainable future for the continent. The 2063 African Union Agenda framework provides a valuable structure for evaluating the impact of rapid population growth on the achievement of development goals, and for creating opportunities for the African youth to contribute to achieving the framework's goal for inclusive and sustainable development. At the same time, the African youth face challenges that limit the potential individual and collective benefits presented by the demographic dividend. On the one hand, the large numbers of young people entering the labour market each year, and the weak structural transformation of most African economies, will perpetuate the preeminent role of the informal sector as a significant employer of youth, particularly those who are less skilled and less educated. On the other hand, the informal sector is typically characterized by high-levels of poverty, severe health-related hazards and precarious work conditions, making it difficult for the youth to cope during health emergencies or other crises. Using case studies from Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Nigeria, this session aims to bring together researchers and global health practitioners to discuss emerging findings from participatory action-research projects on how youth's employment and their health intersect and interact in the context of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

- Sharing emerging results on challenges facing African youth at the intersection of their employment and health, including informal labor, lack of social protection and health care access.

- To learn about the structural inequalities (including sub-optimal policies) that influence youth access to decent work and healthcare.

- Facilitated exchange and mutual learning based on 3 cases studies from Burkina Faso, Uganda and Nigeria - The use of the intersection of sex, age, gender and socio-economic factors to improve understanding of the health and economic well-being of young people