By Anna Bjerde*
The past few weeks, my travels took me to Nigeria and Angola, two countries working with determination to turn potential into progress. Across conversations with policymakers, entrepreneurs, and development partners, one message was clear: Africa is at the center of a historic demographic shift.
By 2050, one in four people will be African, and an additional 600 million young people in Africa will reach working age. This wave of young talent is both a tremendous opportunity and an urgent call to action. Africa’s greatest asset is its people—especially its youth—and generating jobs at scale will define the continent’s economic future.
Here are three reflections from the road:
- Energy, Reforms, and Private Sector Investment
My visit began in Nigeria—home to more than 220 million people and the largest number of Africans without electricity. And yet, nowhere else did I see more drive or determination to tackle this challenge.
In Lagos and Abuja, energy dominated our consultations for the Country Partnership Framework (2026–2032) with Nigeria. Reliable, affordable power is key to unlocking jobs, productivity, and investment.
A few priorities stood out:
Building a financially sustainable power sector. Strengthening transmission and distribution, expanding metering, cutting losses, and moving toward cost-reflective tariffs (with support for vulnerable households) are essential for making the sector viable and ensuring reliable service.
Crowding in private investment for growth. As I discussed with Folake Soetan, CEO of Ikeja Electric, investors need stability, predictability, and cost-reflective pricing to commit long-term capital. Stronger utilities, clearer regulations, and better SME access to finance will help unlock the private sector investment needed to power firms and jobs at scale.
Expanding access through Mission 300. Nigeria is central to connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. Off-grid solutions like DARES, targeting 17.5 million people, are expanding quickly and helping close access gaps.
To create the millions of jobs Nigeria needs, we must match youth ambition with the infrastructure, reforms, and financing that allow them to thrive.
2. The Lobito Corridor: From Transport Link to Economic Engine
From Nigeria, I traveled to Angola for an important milestone: the launch of a new coordination platform for the Lobito Corridor with His Excellency President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, ministers from Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and development partners.
The Lobito Corridor is more than a railway or a port. It is a strategic opportunity to turn regional connectivity into jobs, investment, and rising incomes. Home to more than 30 million people, it anchors a shared ambition: an integrated economic space that can drive agriculture, SME growth, value-added mining, energy, logistics, and urban development, while improving access to global markets.
Unlocking this potential requires strong coordination and smart de-risking. The World Bank Group is supporting through global knowledge, public and private financing, and deploying guarantee instruments to ensure the corridor delivers economic transformation for the people of the region.
- Agriculture and Innovation: Africa’s Job Machine
Across both countries, one sector kept coming up: agriculture. It employs nearly half of the region’s workforce and offers enormous potential for productivity, inclusion, and job creation, especially for youth.
One line captured the moment: “Digital is the fuel of the youth.” I saw that in my conversation with Dr. Nneka Enwonwu of Hello Tractor Nigeria, whose platform connects farmers with tractor owners, much like a ride-hailing app, and creates jobs—from booking agents to operators and technicians.
In Angola, I was equally inspired by Nelson Carrinho, CEO of Carrinho Group, a fast-growing agro-industrial company based in Lobito that works with thousands of smallholder farmers to strengthen value chains and open access to more stable markets.
These conversations reminded me that innovation rooted in local needs can transform livelihoods at scale.
Looking Ahead
Africa’s economic future depends on jobs, and jobs depend on energy, connectivity, agricultural productivity, and a dynamic private sector.
Whether in Lagos, Abuja, or Luanda, I felt the same determination: to build economies that work for young people. It left me optimistic about what’s possible and more committed than ever to helping countries deliver on that vision.
The momentum is real. The opportunity is historic.
*Culled from LinkedIn. Anna Bjerde is World Bank Managing Director of Operations
