UNFPA has been a thought-leader on the demographic dividend (DD) and has strongly supported the continent’s efforts towards meeting the goals and aspirations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU Agenda 2063 through capitalizing on the youthful population of Africa to harness the demographic dividend. From 2013 when Ministers in charge of Finance, Planning and Economic Development called for the development of a continental DD initiative, there have been several high-level decisions on DD culminating in the declaration of 2017 by African Heads of State and Government as the year of “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth”. This theme, significantly supported by UNFPA, was the first to be accompanied by a substantive roadmap that would guide regional economic communities and countries on the key milestones and deliverables needed to harness the demographic dividend.

The AU DD Roadmap is anchored on four key pillars namely health and wellbeing; educations and skills development; employment and entrepreneurship; and youth, governance and rights. The UNFPA Liaison Office engages closely with AUC and other partners to ensure the momentum of the DD is sustained. More specifically, it will continuously support the AU efforts by helping to monitor the implementation of the AU DD Roadmap, ensure its integration is various AU processes beyond 2017.