Africa's Booming Economy Creates Massive Skills Gap

By Robin Meyerhoff, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs, SAP
Jun 24, 2015 9:35 AM ET

Originally published by Forbes.

One thing Ikram El Khadji is not lacking is education. She has a Master’s degree in Information Technology and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science. While studying, she served as a Google student ambassador and Women Techmaker, inspiring other young women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM.) She has even designed a mobile app to help people build personalized diet programs. So why did El Khadji struggle to find a job?

Africa Rising, But For Who?
Morocco spends about a quarter of its budget on education. However, the youth unemployment rate is 30% in North Africa.

Equally puzzling, by all accounts, Africa is on the rise. Seven of the world’s ten fastest growing economies are in Africa and many believe Morocco is the business “gateway” for the continent. North Africa expects 4 – 5 percent GDP growth by 2020 and 6 – 7 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Continue reading the original article on Forbes>>