The 2019 African Economic Conference (AEC), the leading platform for networking, dialogue and knowledge-sharing on pertinent issues facing Africa, will take place 2-4 December 2019 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Jobs, Entrepreneurship and Capacity Development for African Youths.”

The conference is jointly organized by the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Development Programme, on the theme “Jobs, Entrepreneurship and Capacity Development for African Youths,” The topic aligns with the sustainable development goals on ‘inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all’.

This year’s AEC, the 14th, will bring together more than 500 African stakeholders, youth representatives, business leaders, policy makers and media representatives from Africa and around the world.

It will provide an important platform for researchers to debate issues relating to youth employment, skills and entrepreneurship capacities, and evaluate the current reforms and initiatives to address the problem. Participants will discuss policy options for optimizing the benefits of Africa’s youth bulge and tackle the youth skills mismatch in the labour market.

Through knowledge sharing and case studies on good practices, presenters will propose strategies and actionable recommendations to speed up the implementation of key development policies such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the SDGs.

AEC mission

The conference seeks to bring together youth representatives, researchers, policy makers, and development practitioners from Africa and from around the world to discuss recent developments on the issues of jobs for youth, skills and entrepreneurship in Africa.

It will provide an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of ongoing reforms on addressing the youth skills gap in Africa and developing youths’ entrepreneurial capacities.

In addition, the conference will discuss the latest evidence and emerging challenges on youth jobs, skills and entrepreneurship in Africa to inform country strategies and identify evidence-based innovative and implementable policies.