I note some issues like Employment are development issues. It may help linking such issues to the Global Development Gateway (GDN) launched by the World Bank that provides summary / list of publication on specific issues. It is a free service and one can subscribe to as many issues as you wish. I receive 6 digests weekly. For example, I noted that Jacky Foo is quoting some World Bank data for Africa on youth emplyment - It may be useful for afficianados of this area to review all the material when formulating a bankable project.

Once again I like to thank Jacky-Foo for the very informative and good video. Indeed it is very clear that education is nor sufficient even if basically necessary.

The need is also for job creation and although efforts are made as in the case of Ethiopia  such as the loan  example initiated by the Gramen Bank and other initiatives. At the same time, as strongly said in the video, it is economic possibilities which are needed  and this means investment and  trust in the African economic efforts  by western economies.  Aid is not sufficient if not invested in local activities that can  create jobs. It is necessary for western countries to  encourage and diffuse African products as previously mentioned.

 Economies  need to invest and trust the possibility of women's contribution in jobs as in many cases, as indicated  in the Ethiopia case, education seems to be better than in the 80'. Of course the crisis has affected all employment and  more so in Africa and of course women at the same time, what needs  to be developed in western countries,  is trust in the products  made in Africa.  By encouraging the production they will become better as in the case of textiles. At the same time it is also important to encourage better   use of women's education in rural areas which are in any case needed for food production. Here another very serious issue arises which  is  water shortage and hence the need to support and encourage  the building of wells. Such endeavours have been  crucial in Ethiopia as in other countries in Africa where water is scarse and becoming scarser. This is something western countries should support to help economies and thus countries at a basic level  as  making water available with as said well and dams.  The water  issue is also in the hands and sacrifices of women  and is also becoming worse in recent years and will become even more if measures are not taken also between countries in Africa

  I thank very much for all the useful information sent by Jacky-Foo and wish to stress some of the final concluding remarks by Ms Ulla Tornaes for youth employment  in Africa at the Accra conference in 2008 and specifically the need  for national policies for growth and most important the need to change the perception of African products. This second point is very important for women and many  International NGOs have worked on this issue for some years although with scarse  external and internal support.

The other important point stressed in the concluding remarks is   investing in quality and level of education for the young men and women. 

I wish to stress women's quality of education, although they,  as correctly said, marry young but are often left by the husbands and have to go back to work. At this point  they will have to aggregate for survival and this is happening and should be traced by inside and outside support. This is what I found in my research on women and  change in Africa for the UNU, unfortunately my data are of many years ago, beginning of the 90' (Women Households and Change, 1991). At the same time this is also what I find out from some   of my recent researches  (Women's Groups in Emergency Situations 1995-2005) and other researches this is still happening in countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

 I hence think  women's employment is an issue that needs great attention by all international governmental bodies as well as NGO's  operating in Africa.

At the conference on the African Youth and Employment (Accra, 5 September 2008), Ms. Ulla Tørnæs (Danish Minister for Development Cooperation) summaried the following on ideas for getting more young Africans into value-creating employment.  http://www.africacommission.um.dk/NR/rdonlyres/EA75134C-58BF-44CE-941D-8A1B4FEDB931/0/ConcludingremarksbyMinisterTørnæsAccraConference.pdf

(i) Without economic growth there will be no jobs for the youth. So we need to sustain higher economic growth..... And not just any growth, but growth that creates jobs.

(ii) Increasing youth employment should be addressed in national policies for growth and poverty reduction.

(iii) And we need to change the perception of Africa. African products in fact carry huge potential. To capitalize on this potential we should develop value chains in prioritised products to enable African countries to export more. 

(iv) A combination of trade liberalization and more vigorous industrial and agricultural policies could be a way forward. 

(v) We should look at financing mechanisms which give Small and Medium Sized enterprises access to finance for long-term investments. This will add value and create jobs. 

(vi) Development aid could be used to induce private investments that create employment. We need more focus on the productive sectors. 

(vii) We must ensure that the quality and level of education and training is adequate and matches the needs of the private sector. We must also promote entrepreneurship.

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