Background

The conference is being convened by the Global Partnership for Youth Employment (GPYE), a partnership of the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the Youth Employment Network (YEN), Understanding Children’s Work (UCW), and the Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI). We are also pleased to announce support for the conference from the World Bank, USAID, and the Jacobs Foundation.

The agenda will focus on gathering and disseminating evidence-based research on youth employment and entrepreneurship outcomes in Africa, as well as providing examples of effective programs and policies to help address the challenges facing young people in their transition to employment in the region. 

To achieve this goal, scholars and academics are invited to submit abstracts on research on youth employment in Africa. Proposals will only be accepted if they can report preliminary or completed results.

Selected authors

It is expected that 5-6 abstracts will be chosen. Selected researchers will have all travel and accommodation expenses paid to participate in the event and will be required to stay for the entire three days of the conference. Abstracts will be featured in the conference publication, the Youth Employment Inventory and could be used to contribute to designing new youth policies and programs. GPYE will widely disseminate the evidence amongst its partners.

The theme for the conference is "Employability and Entrepreneurship in Africa" which will examine the interface between researchers, practitioners and managers, and how these key stakeholders can best work together to improve our employment opportunities for youth. Submissions are encouraged from stakeholders in low-, middle- and high-income countries.

Abstracts relating to any area of policy and programming in youth employment in Africa are welcome. Topics of particular interest for this symposium incude:

1. Skills development and job placement
2. Vulnerable or disadvantaged youth groups
3. Youth participation in decision-making and policy dialogue
4. Youth entrepreneurship

All submitted abstracts will undergo review by the conference organizing committee and additional external reviewers. Selection for presentation is based on the quality and clarity of the abstract, relevance to conference goals and adherence to the guidelines.

Selected authors will be asked to deliver 30 minute oral presentations followed by 15 mins of question and answer. Presentations may be supported by a slideshow which will need to be submitted to conference organizers for review in advance.

Submissions that are not selected for oral presentations will not be invited to present but will have the option to have their research presented on a poster (see online application).

Presentations should include the following headings:

• Background / Objectives
• Methods / Design
• Results / Findings
• Conclusions / Implications

By submitting to the symposium, submitters authorize, upon acceptance, the permission to reproduce theirs submissions in the symposium syllabus and on the symposium’s website.