ALX, a pan-African talent accelerator has called for greater alignment between skills providers, employers, governments and development institutions to ensure Africa’s growing youth talent translates into jobs, entrepreneurship and broader economic opportunity.

Regional Director, West & Central Africa at ALX, Ruby Igwe, at a CNBC Africa Power Lunch West Africa, argued that as young Africans continue to build digital skills, launch businesses and participate in new forms of work, the conversation must move beyond whether young people are ready to whether the systems around them can create opportunity at sufficient scale.

“Young Africans are already doing the work to develop skills, build businesses and participate in the gig economy. The question is no longer only whether they are ready, but whether the systems around them are ready to build on what is working and scale their impact,” Igwe said.

She pointed to ALX’s experience as evidence of the scale of demand for skills development, with the organisation having trained more than 350,000 young people across Africa since 2021.

With 10 to 12 million young Africans entering the labour market each year, while only about three million formal jobs are created annually, Africa faces a scale of opportunity that no single institution can address alone.

“As Africa moves deeper into industrialisation and digital transformation, our focus must be on expanding access so more young Africans can participate. The opportunity is not just to adapt, but to lead the transformation.

“Young people have already shown they’re willing to do the work. Our job now is to make sure the systems around them, from policy to funding to hiring, are moving at the same speed they are.”

According to her, closing the gap requires coordinated action across four fronts: skills providers expanding access to practical, industry-aligned training; governments strengthening infrastructure and enabling policy; development institutions helping to finance proven models at scale; and employers clearly defining the skills they need while creating meaningful entry-level pathways for emerging talent.

Addressing the perception that digital fluency is relevant only to technical careers, Igwe noted that technology is increasingly reshaping work across sectors.

“Whether you are an art student, a science student, or a commerce student, AI, data, and digital tools enhance how you do your work. What we need is a mindset shift toward digital fluency and adaptability.”

She added: “Africa’s next challenge is to move from pockets of excellence to systems capable of delivering opportunity at scale. For ALX, expanding access, strengthening alignment between skills and market demand, and creating clearer pathways into economic opportunity will be critical to ensuring young Africans can participate in and help lead the continent’s industrial and digital transformation.”