African Union (AU) member states individually and collectively are grappling with how to bring about transformative results in the development and growth of their economies. The African Union Commission (AUC) and African Union Development Agency’s New Partnership for African Development (AUDA-NEPAD) held dialogues in 2017 and 2018 (“Africa Talks Jobs”) to address youth employment and skills promotion across the continent.

To express a clear sense of purpose and to strengthen partnerships and scale up skills, the dialogue was transformed into ‘Africa Creates Jobs’ (ACJ). The ACJ aims to bring together stakeholders who influence skills and employment agendas in order to shape solutions.

In preparation for the ACJ! 2021 Continental Dialogue, five regional workshops were held between August and November 2021, with the purpose of bringing a wide range of stakeholders together to share experiences and identify solutions. The regional ACJs were informed by AUDA-NEPAD commissioned macro-economic studies which aimed to unpack the sub-sectors that would most benefit from skills development interventions.