WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO ENHANCE THE SKILLS NEEDED TO PREPARE AFRICA'S YOUTH FOR THE DIGITAL ECONOMY AND THE FUTURE OF WORK?

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO ENHANCE THE SKILLS NEEDED TO PREPARE AFRICA'S YOUTH FOR THE DIGITAL ECONOMY AND THE FUTURE OF WORK?

Digital economy refers to a worldwide network of economic activities, commercial transactions, and professional interactions that are enabled by information and communication technologies. The future of work involves forces like the adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace with characteristics such as working more closely with machines and unpredictable career paths.

To enhance the skills needed to prepare Africa's youths for the digital economy and the future of work, we need to train the youths in a new ecological environment on living to influence the future and how youths can benefit from the living environment. Organizations will not only be looking for skills but also workers to company relationship. The future demands flexibility at the workplace in regards to schedules and locations. We, therefore, need to come up with relevant regulations in every field to guide the company-worker relationship as the continent evolves from the traditional forms of employment.

There is a need to re-engineer how schools prepare youths for a new professional reality. The majority of current education systems in Africa for example in Kenya are based on experience and not visionary driven by the future which will require skill-based digitalization and automation. We no longer learn from the best teaching methods and a good history. We need a more skill-oriented curriculum that also discovers talent and abilities. Due to automation and advancement in technologies, computer skills, digital skills, programming skills need to be taught at an early age.

Invest in human capital. There is a need to put more emphasis on the intellectual potential of individuals. Develop the youths' intellectual property to become industry builders and how to infuse human intelligence with artificial intelligence to give viable results. Most African countries have large percentages of working poverty, unemployment, and underemployment among the youths. Traits such as learning how to learn ought to be cultivated among the youths.

Use trade unions to prepare the youths and equip them with skills to make them employable by formulating policies that will ensure that their members are skilled.

The African youths need a drive for a change of mindset to learn and adapt because the future of work will have experienced a load of changes in how to undergo our activities in day to day work since it is hard to choose a career path due to the unknown future changes in one's career. We need to understand the shifting dynamics.