Agro-food value chains hold untapped opportunities to help address the youth unemployment problem in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Expanding and strengthening domestic segments of agro-food value chains in these countries could improve the economic and social well-being of young people and their families; fulfil the demand for more and better agricultural products; and increase the capacity of their economies to face up to the interrelated challenges of optimal resource use, climate change, technological transformation, and disruption of global food value chains. This case is built around three key observations. The first observation is that Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia are in the midst of a demographic transition that can offer unprecedented socio-economic benefits, but which are yet not fully grasped. Currently, children and young people constitute over 49% of the total population in Egypt, 42% in Morocco, and 38% in Tunisia. The coming decades will continue bringing a massive influx of new young entrants into labour markets, demanding good quality jobs. Many of these young workers still live in rural areas, and the vast majority have medium or low levels of skill. Youth unemployment rates in these countries are among the highest in the world, especially for young women. Yet, these young people do aspire for better prospects than their parents did.
Agro-food Jobs for Youth in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia
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