UN urges more women, youth inclusion for development in sub-Saharan Africa

A new UN Report underlines need for greater inclusion of women and youth in work to spur human development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Reducing inequalities and the creation of work are critical for human development in the region, says the 2015 Human Development Report, which was launched on Monday in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

The Report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) titled "Work for Human Development" encourages governments to consider work beyond jobs, such as unpaid care, voluntary, creative work and more.

Significant gains have been made in human development in sub-Saharan Africa, says the report, while it underlines the urgent need to address wide inequalities and gaps in opportunities, including in work, towards strengthening progress.

Since 2000, sub-Saharan Africa has experienced the fastest annual growth rates in the Human Development Index (HDI) among all regions, growing at annual rate of 1.7 percent between 2000 and 2010 and 0.9 percent between 2010 and 2014, according to the report.

Twelve countries in the region, including Botswana, Cabo Verde, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Zambia have levels that put them in the high and medium human development group, the report says.

However the report says sub-Saharan Africa on average remains in the low human development category and HDI levels are still low. It says the shortage of "good work opportunities" is preventing many from reaching their full potential and making decent livelihoods.

The region's overall official employment rate is 66 percent but 74 percent of working women and 61 percent of working men in sub-Saharan Africa are informal employment and nearly 25 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 work as child labor, according to the report.

Those in vulnerable work and the informal economy often lack decent work conditions and have lower earnings than other workers, the Report highlights.

"Africa is experiencing higher levels of well-being and economic growth. Now governments must focus on better working conditions to improve lives and livelihoods, supporting the creation of jobs to sustain people and communities, and providing preconditions for greater labor participation by women and young people," said Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Assistant Administrator and Director of UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa.

The report says the creation of work and the expansion of choices in the region are crucial to tackle inequality.

Sub-Saharan Africa has 500 million people living in multidimensional poverty, that is three of every five in the region, says the report.

Gains in human development, especially in health and education, are more unevenly distributed in sub-Saharan African than any region in the world, it adds.

Noting the region is facing a high cohort of young people in Africa due to population growth, the report says addressing low literacy rates and building skills could help young people secure work opportunities.

The report also says women have fewer opportunities than men for paid work in the region, urging efforts to improve women's lives by ensuring equal pay, tackling the harassment and the social norm that exclude so many women from paid work. Endit