According to the United Nations, one in ten children around the world currently live in war-torn areas, with close to 25 million currently out of school, without access to any type of training. The gigantic strides and landmarks in technology and digital skills throughout the world of work compound the challenges of the labor market that frustrate the youth, making the terrain very unfamiliar for the less educated and trained youth in many countries in Africa.

If youth are out of school or unemployed with no access to training, they will be unable to contribute to decision-making processes, which isolate them politically and civically even more as education touches everything affecting our lives and societies. To address this, the African Union’s Agenda-2063 aims to close the gap, by developing human and social capital through education, reinforced by science, technology and innovation within the member countries. Though such an ambitious plan cannot be realised without addressing the Female Genital Mutilation, child marriage, gender-based violence and menstrual stigma, or other forms of violence and discrimination against gender and sexual minority groups.

Girls and young women are more likely to drop out of school, forced into marriage, and thus never become financially independent, which prevents them from having a safe, dignified life for a better future. There is therefore a need to advance an inclusive education with a gender lens, to ensuring a stable Africa, one that is free of conflicts and a home to proud citizens who are healthy, fully engaged in education and training, to explore knowledge, skills, and/or competences from the different experiences, to build a society that is collaborative and emotionally intelligent, and to accelerate the human, capital and social development.