The Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group, Paschal Donohoe, has called for a fundamental shift in how education systems prepare young Africans for the labour market, warning that a growing mismatch between skills and employment opportunities threatens the continent’s demographic promise.
Speaking at the Vice Chancellor’s Occasional Lecture Series on the topic, “Building Skills , Creating Jobs, and Empowering Africa’s Future” at the University of Ghana, Donohoe said the global economy is undergoing a transformation driven by technological change, automation and the green transition, making it imperative for universities, governments and industry to redesign education systems around practical and market-relevant skills.
“It is a great honour to be with you today,” Donohoe told students, faculty, policymakers and private sector leaders gathered at the university. “Across cabinet rooms, finance ministries and development institutions, one question is always asked: how do we ensure that education translates into opportunity and that young people can find their footing in an economy that keeps changing beneath their feet?”
Donohoe, who recently assumed his role at the World Bank after more than two decades in public service including serving as Ireland’s Minister for Finance and President of the Eurogroup, said the challenge facing young graduates is not unique to Ghana but reflects a global crisis in education and skills development.
He revealed that across low and middle income countries, seven in ten children aged 10 cannot read a simple age appropriate text, while more than three billion adults have less than lower secondary education. At the same time, about 1.2 billion young people are expected to enter labour markets in developing countries over the next decade.
“These are not just numbers,” he said. “They represent a widening gap between the systems that educate people and the rapidly evolving needs of modern economies.”
Donohoe noted that technological shifts such as artificial intelligence and automation are rapidly transforming job markets, meaning skills that were sufficient a decade ago may no longer meet the demands of employers.
Turning to Africa, he described the continent as the most consequential chapter in the global labour market transformation, citing its rapidly growing youth population as both a historic opportunity and a significant policy challenge.
“Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest growing population. By 2050 more than half of global population growth will take place on this continent,” he said.
However, he warned that job creation is struggling to keep pace with population growth. While Africa creates roughly three million formal jobs each year, between 10 and 12 million young people enter the labour force annually.
“The challenge is not simply to get people into jobs,” Donohoe said. “It is to raise productivity and earnings across all forms of work so that the millions of young Africans who are working are actually getting ahead.”
Addressing students directly, he acknowledged that today’s graduates are among the most educated generations in Africa’s history but are entering a labour market that is more competitive and dynamic than ever before.
“You are not the generation that faces a lack of education,” he said. “But the labour market you are entering is more demanding and more rapidly changing than any your predecessors faced.”
He highlighted several structural barriers facing graduates, including a mismatch between university curricula and labour market needs, limited practical experience among new graduates and a concentration of job aspirations in sectors where formal job creation remains slow.
According to him, emerging sectors such as agribusiness, digital services and green energy are creating opportunities that graduates must be prepared to pursue.
Donohoe emphasized that strong foundational skills such as analytical thinking, quantitative literacy and communication are increasingly critical in navigating changing economic landscapes.
“When those foundations are strong, a changing economy is navigable,” he said. “When they are weak, even a degree offers limited protection.”
He said the World Bank is placing education, skills and jobs at the centre of its development agenda through a new global strategy aimed at connecting education systems more directly to labour market outcomes.
The strategy focuses on strengthening early learning, improving school quality, equipping young people with job relevant skills and supporting entrepreneurship and employment pathways.
Quoting Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, Donohoe stressed the importance of foundational education.
“Without literacy and numeracy, nothing else is possible. Not skills, not jobs, not growth,” he said.
He also highlighted international examples where close collaboration between governments, universities and industry helped align education with economic growth, citing countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Ireland.
In these cases, technical and higher education systems were closely integrated with priority industries, allowing employers to shape curricula and training programmes.
“The lesson from across the world is clear,” Donohoe said. “Training that happens in isolation from employers produces graduates who are ready for a job description, not a job.”
He urged African students to adopt a mindset of continuous learning and entrepreneurship rather than waiting for traditional formal employment opportunities.
“A degree is your starting point, not your destination,” he said. “The most valuable professionals in the emerging economy are those who can bridge worlds, bringing technical knowledge to real world problems.”
Donohoe concluded by reaffirming the World Bank Group’s long term commitment to supporting education and skills development across Africa, noting that the institution remains the largest external financier of education in the developing world.
“The challenges we face are real,” he said. “But so too is the opportunity. Africa is not waiting. Its entrepreneurs are not waiting. Its innovators are not waiting.”
“Your ambition, energy and determination will shape Africa’s future. Our role is to help ensure that opportunity keeps pace with that ambition.”
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