Digital Ronin
Today, African young people are facing many new challenges in the modern world. Those from rural areas and/or come from financially unstable families are particularly disadvantaged. In the past, many families pooled resources to educate one or two young family members. School graduation certificates often assured those young people employment and a regular and reasonable income. These earners could then support their families for many years.
This relatively secure strategy of providing youth employment, however, changed dramatically and became less and less viable. Starting in the early 1990s, most African governments scaled back financial support of education because of the World Bank's Structural Adjustment Program (SAP). Families could no longer afford to educate their young people.
A second reason for problems was the rapid population growth without a corresponding growth in the economy and related employment opportunities. As well, the private business and industry sectors were - and in many cases still are - too weak to generate enough jobs. Unemployment became a way of life. Youth unemployment has been soaring for many years in many countries. In some, it is as high as 70%. In response to the recognized dire situation, private companies saw a golden opportunity to create new learning sectors and schools that offered a diversity of courses. Unfortunately, many students were misled and often not trained properly because of substandard teaching methods and outdated curriculum. They graduated armed with mostly abstract theory, useless information, and sometimes severely poor and limited training that was not relevant or needed by industries and businesses. Many disillusioned youths try to reach Europe in search of employment opportunities. Some get shipped to the Middle East to do menial work in often harsh conditions. Those wishing to go to North America are limited by lack of survival money, the great distance to get there, strict entry requirements and controls, and, worst of all, they have substandard skills/talents/ abilities. Many African countries boast large tracts of fertile land desperately waiting to be farmed. This should be inviting to youths, but without machines, computers and technology, or financial support, young people are not keen to earn incomes using the agricultural methods of their forefathers. The questions must be asked: Can something be done to keep young people in Africa and give them viable skills, work and employment opportunities? Can they be provided the modern tools that are used by others in the world? The answer is YES. Welcome to the Ronin Digital Apprentice Program.
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