The world's economic and financial crisis, which has hit Africa hard, is worsening unemployment on the poorest continent, an African Union expert meeting heard Thursday.
Speakers at the opening of the 7th session of the AU Commission on Labour and Social Affairs, which gathered ministers, employers and trade unionists from the 53 member states, all mentioned the serious consequences of the crisis and the need to find joint African strategies to tackle unemployment.
"Africa should see the number of unemployed people rise by four million on account of the global crisis, which worsens an already bad situation," said Adrienne Diop, the human development commissioner in the Economic Community of West African States.
At global level, the number of unemployed "could reach between 219 and 241 people, the highest ever recorded," warned Charles Dan, the Africa director of the International Labour Organisation, based in Geneva.
Already affected by food shortages, the rise in the price of fuels and by global warming, Africa should see its economic growth fall to "1.8 percent in 2009", Dan added.
"The flow of investment has slowed down. The price of most raw materials has declined. Development aid has been reduced," explained Bience Gawanas, the AU's commissioner for social affairs, who stressed that "the impact of the crisis on employment in Africa cannot be ignored."
"Africa can only take up the challenge of growth and prosperity by putting a particular stress on strengthening the capacities of its enterprises and on improving productivity," said Birahima Nacoulma, the president of the Pan-African Confederation of Employers.
"It needs to increase the possibility of investments in the domains of new technologies, education and training, with a view to reinforcing competitivity and improving the quality of life," Nacoulma added.
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