The African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has launched the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System, a pioneering mechanism designed to embed youth-focused employment, skills development, and entrepreneurship goals into all AfDB-funded projects.

Aimed at tackling Africa’s widening youth employment gap, the system integrates job creation, market-relevant skills training, and enterprise support into projects across sectors like agriculture, energy, education, and transport. With 10–12 million young Africans entering the labour market annually, against only 3 million formal jobs, this new approach aims to transform development finance into a job-generating force.

Dr Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, said the initiative ensures Africa’s youth are active stakeholders, not passive beneficiaries, in economic transformation. The Marker System, modelled after the Bank’s successful Gender Marker, will also feature a real-time data dashboard for monitoring progress and informing policy.

Currently in pilot phase, the full rollout is expected by 2026. Supported by the Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Trust Fund and ILO expertise, it marks the first global example of a development finance institution systematically integrating youth outcomes into its operational model.