Prof. Bhekinkosi Moyo( with the cap) in conversation with Dr. Moses Okech on the CAPSI Podcast./PHOTO ; A screengrab from the pocast
For years, the vast challenge of youth unemployment in Africa has been met with costly interventions, often yielding disappointing results.
Philanthropic and government programs, designed with the best intentions, have struggled to align opportunity with a new generation’s ambition.
But what if the problem isn’t the effort, but a fundamental misunderstanding of what young Africans truly aspire to?
A new study suggests the time has come to completely discard the old metrics of success.
The study was conducted in Uganda by Makerere University, and the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI) is pushing back against conventional wisdom, arguing that nonprofits are not just service providers but are, in fact, the essential first responders on the ladder to a meaningful career.
Dr. Moses Okech, a lecturer from Makerere University’s multidisciplinary Department of Extension and Innovation Studies, is at the forefront of this research.
In a recent sit-down down he shared his preliminary findings with Prof. Bhekinkosi Moyo on the CAPSI podcast series, held on the sidelines of the 6th Africa Philanthropy Network Conference in Cairo.
The Nonprofit Sector: A Gateway, Not an End Destination
The study’s data, drawn from over 1,000 surveys with youth and nonprofits in Uganda, reveals a powerful trend: young people actively seek out the nonprofit sector as a crucial stepping-stone to the world of work.
“One of our findings is that when you look at youth, both those who have gone to school and those who have not, there’s a tendency for them to look at the nonprofit sector as the go-to institution when looking out for skills,” Dr. Okech explains.
For educated youth, this takes the form of apprenticeships, internships, and volunteering.
For those without extensive formal schooling, it is often vocational skilling and technical training, the kind of upskilling that directly translates into self-employment and better livelihoods.
The implication is clear: the nonprofit sector’s primary contribution to youth employment is not long-term job creation, but rather human capital development.
This finding directly challenges the organizational imperative of staff retention.
Dr. Okech noted that many nonprofits are “fascinated” and puzzled when young people quickly leave stable positions.
The research suggests that for many youth, the goal isn’t to stay but to acquire a portfolio and “bounce back to academia where my PhD grounded me” or, more accurately, to the market.
“What they wanted was to start their own businesses and become their own bosses,” Dr. Okech shared, summarizing the sentiment of many young respondents. “Autonomy matters to that category of the youth.”
Redefining Dignity and Fulfilment on Youth Terms
Perhaps the most significant insight from the study is the evolving definition of “dignity” and “fulfilment,” which deviates sharply from traditional metrics like job security.
For Ugandan youth, fulfilment is intensely personal and aspirational.
It is tied to jobs that “allow them to do the things they love to do” and enable them to “exploit their potential to the full.”
This explains the high interest in jobs related to digital skilling, which are seen as flexible, modern, and aligned with personal growth.
Dignity, too, has a modern context. It is defined less by a title and more by the bottom line.
According to the respondents, dignity “has got to do with the income… that is comparable to what people in the formal sector actually get.”
They are not willing to accept sub-market wages merely because a job is categorized as a philanthropic endeavor.
Furthermore, the work environment is paramount. Young people are rejecting top-down authority and traditional hierarchical structures.
They demand “that supportive… environment where your views and opinions matter, where you sit around a table and you make a decision [and] you contribute to decision making.”
The days of simply handing down instructions are over.
From Research Fatigue to Policy Impact
Dr. Okech also shed light on the arduous process of conducting such research, highlighting the challenges of securing ethical approvals for a study that focuses on “people on the margins,” including formerly incarcerated youth.
He spoke of the difficulty in maneuvering around ethical requirements and aligning with local definitions of youth, which temporarily slowed the project down.
However, the political appetite for these findings is immense.
Dr. Okech confirmed strong engagement with government ministries and a Parliamentary Forum that has already requested a conversation once the final report is ready.
“The conversation I’m hearing from policy makers is that this study they cannot wait for the outcome of this study because they want to know exactly what it is that ticks for the youth,” he stated.
This enthusiasm stems from a recognition that numerous top-down, multi-million-dollar youth empowerment programs have failed in the past. The data from Dr. Okech’s team offers a path to evidence-led policy that is informed by the ground-up realities and demands of young people.
Beyond policy, the study is expected to have a practical impact:
- For Practitioners: Non-profits will gain clarity on shifting their focus from retention to being a high-value training and incubation space.
- For Academia: The research is already being considered to inform the development of a new curriculum on philanthropy and youth engagement at the university level, expanding the academic menu in this critical field.
Reflecting on the study’s trajectory, Dr. Okech stressed the importance of dissemination beyond the academic journal.
The plan is to engage stakeholders after analysis to “validate the data,” a crucial step to combating the pervasive “research fatigue” felt by communities that often give their time but never see the results or benefits of a study.
For Dr. Okech and Makerere University, the CAPSI collaboration is a landmark example of how academia can step out of the ivory tower to inform real-world development.
By listening to the voices of young Africans and rigorously analyzing their experiences, the study provides a critical framework for policymakers, philanthropists, and nonprofit leaders ready to invest in a generation that demands a new, more meaningful definition of dignified work.
This article is based on insights shared by Dr. Moses Okech of Makerere University during a conversation with Prof. Bekinkosi Moyo for the CAPSI podcast series at the 6th Africa Philanthropy Network Conference in Cairo.
