Youth aged between 15 and 35 years in Africa are estimated at 420 million. Unemployment among this population is stated at nearly 60%, with variations from country to country. What is uncontested is that every government in Africa and across the world is battling with high unemployment among the youth. What should governments do to resolve this unemployment challenge among the youth?

The first thing is to diagnose how the future workforce, workplace and workspace will change or is changing. The second is to acknowledge that technology has dramatic implications on the future, and that smart governments will increasingly become AI-driven.

Work patterns have dramatically changed. We have many gig workers and employment opportunities in the metaverse, and this number is now in excess of 300 million around the world. In 2021, it was estimated that the metaverse job market would hit $800 billion by 2024 and that this would grow exponentially as the world becomes more tech driven with generational change. How should the public sector re-imagine their policies on youth unemployment, service delivery and public sector transformation? What should ‘’the next generation public sector’’ look like in form and substance?