Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu writing in The Hive:
Suggested ideas include:
...research shows that jobs in fragile states are central to breaking the fragility cycle, restoring livelihoods, re-integrating former fighters, giving everyone a stake in the society (or giving it back), reconnecting people and rebuilding networks. So enough awareness-raising: what do we do, how do we approach this game-changer problem.Decent job creation will be one of the most important yardsticks by which the poor and most vulnerable will hold us to account.
Suggested ideas include:
Do no harm which means please invest in sound political economy analysis upfront in order to understand the legacy of violence and trauma in a country and the implications for the jobs agenda. Creating jobs must be sensitive to the context of the conflict to avoid reinforcing any structural causes of fragility that may increase the likelihood of relapse. And critically, attention should be paid to the distribution of jobs, so that the benefits are inclusive, and marginalized groups not excluded.
The job approach in fragile states should prioritize underemployment rather than unemployment, and raising low-productivity jobs in fragile states over emphasizing only formal job creation.
Engage the private sector from Day One: While the public sector and public works are often sources of job creation (and emergency public works often the easiest to get off the ground in the immediate aftermath of conflict), the aim should be to focus on job creators in the private sector. And this can mean either formal firms or self-employed and family businesses in the informal sector and agriculture. The private sector provides 90% of jobs in developing countries and provides the only sustainable solution. Engaging the private sector from the start will result in a better understanding of their needs and future market demands. Even in fragile situations there are opportunities to leverage existing value chains which are a part of the domestic economy.
Focus on youth. This is often the largest demographic in countries where job creation is challenging (Africa, the Middle East and North Africa) but in conflict countries this group probably includes large numbers of former fighters or disaffected youngsters who are in the most urgent (and dangerous) need of a different narrative for their lives. Young people also often have remarkable technology skills (think of the Arab Spring) and nurturing innovation, creating start-up space may also create the space for optimism and a new outlook.