Africa’s Rural Youth in the Global Context

Abstract

Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa are under enormous pressure to create more and better jobs for the region’s young and rapidly growing population. This chapter discusses how Africa’s demographic and economic transition differs than other developing regions. It then draws on Timmer’s Four Stages of Agricultural Transformation to conceptualize the unique role of youth participation in modernizing Africa’s agricultural sectors and rural economies. Thematic chapters covering trends in youth migration, national policy, and politics, as well as country case studies are included to shed light on whether the traditional model of agricultural transformation is still relevant for Africa today. Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, and Tanzania feature as case studies due to distinctions in three key components of structural change: agricultural productivity growth, sectoral diversification, and speed of urbanization.