Origin and Trajectory of National Youth Service Programme in Africa: An Exploratory Review
Lamidi, K. O. (2019). Origin and Trajectory of National Youth Service Programme in Africa: An Exploratory Review. Africa: History and Culture 4(1), 12-22
Posted: 26 Mar 2020
Date Written: February 24, 2019
Abstract
This paper explored the origin and trajectory of the National Youth Service Programme in Africa with a view to understanding its visions as well as intended benefits. It attempted to conceptualise the National Youth Service using the four most commonly found programme models of National Youth Service in a bid to clarifying the dimensional intents of the scheme across countries in Africa. This paper also depicted the trajectory by discussing the growing attention to National Youth Service in Sub-Saharan Africa; re-envisioned and emerging programmes in the continent; National Youth Service programme goals and the focus on youth employability in Africa; as well as, understanding the scale of National Youth Service in Africa vis-à-vis its institutional arrangement and access to funding. Secondary data were fittingly utilized for this paper. It, however, provided a synopsis of the current trends of the National Youth Service Programme in Africa. It also concluded that National Youth Service Programme in respective African countries must continue to exhibit the vision, the integrity and the commitment which have taken the scheme from its humble beginnings to the echelon of being an important national institution in the development of state-building across nations in Africa.
Keywords: Emerging Programmes in Africa, National Youth Service, Regional Development, Voluntary Service Schemes
JEL Classification: Z10, Z13
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation