Wanted: 1 million MBAs. Can Africa promote from within?

Lindiwe Sibanda, CEO of the Food, Agriculture and National Resources Policy Analysis Network, speaks at a South Africa conference in 2011. CGIAR climate(Flickr)

As Africa claims the world's fastest growing GDP, its economy and businesses are growing, but they need managers.

This is good news for youth, who are eager to find jobs. The median age of the population in Africa is 20, seven years younger than anywhere else in the world, and the UN does not expect this gap to narrow until at least 2060. Youth employment solutions are necessary.

The need: one million managers. African Management Initiative

Startups, innovation and investment in Africa have created a need for highly qualified managers. Currently the continent has over one million vacancies in management, and as growth continues this number is expected to increase. But few African youth study management in school, which causes companies to look for foreign workers. Good, low-cost business education is needed in Africa. Of 90 business schools on the continent, only nine are accredited with international standards. Management is a field of opportunities in Africa—both for African youth and businesses looking to train them.