At conferences and summits across the continent, one message keeps coming up: Africa's next phase of economic growth depends on turning young innovators' ideas into scalable businesses. Experts are pointing directly at youth enterprise as the engine that will drive what comes next, not oil revenues, not foreign aid, not extractive industries.
The argument is straightforward. Africa has one of the youngest populations on earth, and that demographic reality is either an opportunity or a pressure point, depending on how governments and private sectors respond. When young people can build and grow businesses, that energy becomes a genuine economic force.
The conversation is shifting from potential to practicality. What conditions, funding structures, and policy environments actually help a promising idea become a company that hires people and sustains itself? That is the question experts say the continent needs to answer, and answer soon.
Originally published by BusinessDay.