Education methods responsible for graduate unemployment in Africa- 'Mo' Ibrahim

Mohammed Ibrahim

Founder of the MO Foundation and mobile communications entrepreneur, Mohammed Ibrahim, is calling for a shift in the method of education on the African continent, to address the huge unskilled labour and graduate unemployment on the continent.

The Sudanese billionaire said the system of education practiced in Africa only produces people for non-existing jobs.

Quoting an undisclosed data about Africa, he said the higher education one receives in Africa, the higher the individual's chances of not getting a job.

Speaking at a round-table forum on investment in Africa at the ongoing Annual Investment Meeting in Dubai, Mr. Ibrahim whose foundation invests in governance and leadership in Africa said the continent is blessed with abundant human resource to speed up development but demanded reforms in the educational systems to meet the requirement of the job market.

Mohammed Ibrahim said, African demographics is different from anywhere else apart from the Middle East. According to him, “50% of African people are pro nineteen years old – this is the future of Africa”, and hence this future needs to be trained and educated.

He emphasised the need to match education on the continent with the job market. He also indicated that the continent may not achieve much in the next 30 years if barriers that exist between countries are not removed.

Mohammed Ibrahim believes 54 states each with its own borders, customs and laws does not auger well for the continent and its people.