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 [Education & Workforce Development](/categories/education-workforce-development)

 # Africa's Booming Economy Creates Massive Skills Gap

 

##### By Robin Meyerhoff, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs, SAP

 

 

 Jun 24, 2015 9:35 AM ET

  Campaign:  [SAP Supports Sustainable Growth in Emerging Economies](/news/campaign/sap-supports-sustainable-growth-emerging-economies) [Originally published by Forbes.](http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2015/06/22/africas-booming-economy-creates-massive-skills-gap/)

One thing Ikram El Khadji is not lacking is education. She has a Master’s degree in Information Technology and an undergraduate degree in Computer Science. While studying, she served as a Google [student ambassador](https://www.google.com/edu/resources/programs/student-ambassador-program/) and [Women Techmaker](https://www.womentechmakers.com/), inspiring other young women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM.) She has even designed a mobile app to help people build personalized diet programs. So why did El Khadji struggle to find a job?

**Africa Rising, But For Who?**  
[Morocco spends about a quarter](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/world/africa/gaps-in-graduates-skills-confound-morocco.html) of its budget on education. However, the youth unemployment rate is 30% in North Africa.

Equally puzzling, by all accounts, Africa is on the rise. Seven of the world’s ten fastest growing economies are in Africa and many believe Morocco is the business [“gateway”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuOX0Qtbk_A) for the continent. North Africa expects 4 – 5 percent GDP growth by 2020 and 6 – 7 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

[Continue reading the original article on Forbes>>](http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2015/06/22/africas-booming-economy-creates-massive-skills-gap/)



 

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