Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, during her tour of the Sri Sri Rural Development Programme Trust in India, observed skills training in drone technology, solar power, electric vehicles, and mobile phone repairs.
Former chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has urged African countries to look to India’s development model and adopt technological innovations to address youth unemployment challenges.
Youth unemployment in Africa remains severe, driven by a deep mismatch between rapid demographic growth and the pace of formal job creation.
According to data from the Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Youth Employment Outlook 2026, out of the roughly 420 million young people aged 15 to 35 on the continent, only one in six (approximately 16.6%) holds formal wage employment.
In the continent's most industrialised economies, such as South Africa, the crisis is particularly dire, with youth unemployment (ages 15–24) reaching a staggering 60.9% in the first quarter of 2026
