The job creation industry

The Job Creation industry

…At the African Union  Extraordinary summit on employment and poverty alleviation in Africa (Ouagadougou, September 2004), the participating heads of state and government adopted a declaration, a plan of action and a follow up mechanism that placed employment and decent work at the center of Africa's development…

African Employment Trends, April 2007

Report Published by the International Labour Organization (ILO)

 

Africa, like all other continents, faces a the challenge of creating employment for citizens. Many governments facilitate this through creating attractive portfolios in a bid to lure investors to bring in capital and set up shop in the country. This a short-term measure with a fixed short term pay off. However, it is important to develop a permanent solution to this challenge. The answer lies in "job creation". What creates jobs? If governments can develop a facility or industry that creates jobs they will have a permanent solution to employment.  The" job creation" industry does in fact exist.  That industry is called "enterprise". The more enterprises are facilitated, the more jobs they will be able to spin off. The beauty of investment in startups is that in the long run they becomes self-sustaining. The next question is how to create an enterprise culture rather than a sense of "entitlement to employment". The key is to promote startup businesses, grow them and secure them for the future. Investment and development of startups takes time but they are the surest investment for long-term job creation.

 

Allan Bukusi