African Economic Outlook 2012: Promoting Youth Employment
As successive editions of the African Economic Outlook have shown, Africa’s rate of growth has outperformed the global rate over the last decade. Yet high growth is not sufficient to guarantee productive employment for all. Large sections of the population, and particularly the young, can be left behind and become frustrated. In the absence of a political process allowing them to express their views and produce policy changes, instability can result, as it did last year in a number of North African countries. This is an opportune time to reset the policy agenda of African governments towards an inclusive, employment-creating and sustainable growth strategy, aimed particularly at addressing the special needs of the young.
In order to provide interested stakeholders from government, business, civil society and academia with a critical analysis of the continent’s growth trajectory, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) and the United Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) are offering this e-Learning course.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Discuss the main economic developments in Africa and growth prospects;
- Identify the main domestic and external financial flows in Africa;
- Describe the most important developments in regional and bilateral trade agreements in Africa;
- Estimate the main effect capital flight has on Africa`s efforts to reduce poverty;
- Discuss the major trends of civic tension on the African continent; and
- Indicate the conditions of Africa`s youth employment challenges.
The course consists of the following modules:
- Module 1: Microeconomic Prospects
- Module 2: Domestic and External Financial Flows
- Module 3: Trade Policies and Regional Integration in Africa
- Module 4: Human Development
- Module 5: Economic and Political Governance
This self-paced course will be delivered from 21 January to 25 February, 2013. Participants may complete it any time within this five-week period. All course modules can be accessed at any time. However, it is advisable to follow the course in chronological order to gain a better understanding. Each module has interactive lessons that provide the core content around the topic for that module. The lessons are designed in a way that learners are also able to self-assess their understanding through built-in quizzes. Additional resources such as bibliographies, web links and optional readings are provided for participants who wish to deepen their knowledge of the course topic.
The course targets groups and individuals that are interested in obtaining a general understanding about the regional trade integration concept and latest developments. They include:
- Civil servants in national Ministries, provincial departments and local authorities
- Diplomats from Permanent Missions and Ministries of Foreign Affairs
- Officials from Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
- Professionals in private sector and civil society organizations
- Faculty, researchers and students
- Interested citizens
Acceptance to the Course
Until the registration deadline, participants are accepted to the course on a rolling basis and subject to availability of slots.
Certificate of Completion
A Certificate of Completion will be issued by UNITAR and UN ECA to all participants who complete the course-related assessments successfully.
Technical Requirements
Access to internet is an essential condition for participation. UNITAR recommends the following as a minimum in hardware and software to take our e-Learning courses. Please consult your Network Administrator or Systems person to ensure that you have the following:
- Platform: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP or superior; MacOS 9 or MacOS X; Linux
- Hardware: 64 MB of RAM, 1 GB of free disk space
- Software:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Adobe Flash Player
- Microsoft Office (Windows or Mac) or Open Office
- Browser: Internet Explorer 7 or higher or Firefox 3.6 or higher
- Modem: 56 K
- Note that JavaScript, Cookies and Pop-ups must be enabled