The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its Offices for Eastern and Central Africa, convened a side event on the margins of the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), bringing together policymakers, development partners, academics, youth representatives and United Nations agencies to discuss pathways for transforming informal work into sustainable livelihoods for young people across Africa.
Held under the theme “From Informal Work to Sustainable Livelihoods: Youth Pathways in Fragile Cities in Africa,” the event focused on solutions to address youth unemployment, skills gaps, limited access to finance, inclusive urban development, entrepreneurship and partnerships for scalable impact
At the opening of the event, Claver Gatete, the Executive Secretary of ECA underscored the importance of harmonizing and standardizing education systems, professional qualifications and skills certification across Africa to facilitate labour mobility and enable young people to access employment opportunities beyond national borders.
Participants emphasized that greater regional integration of qualifications would help unlock the continent’s human capital potential and support the aspirations of Agenda 2063. They also highlighted the urgent need to expand young people’s access to finance, business development services and entrepreneurial support ecosystems.