The Dichotomy of Capacity Building and Unemployment in Ethiopia

This paper examines the problems associated with youth capacity building and unemployment in Ethiopia. It argues that capacity building is a continuous process of development that could be accomplished through participation of the citizens in their own development. The dynamics of development at both national and grassroots levels in Ethiopia must involve the exposure of government change agents to participatory learning and action methodologies. The paper uses data derived from primary and secondary sources to analyze the problems associated with youth capacity building and unemployment in Ethiopia. The conceptual framework is based on the social constructionist, the build block model of development, monetarist and the Keynesian theories. The findings show that technical capacity building in Ethiopia will serve as a lever for economic and social development. There is, however, a negative correlation between the nation’s educational system and the kind of technical skills needed to achieve its sustainable development goals. In addition, the Ethiopian Government policies have not been able to effectively galvanize the private sector and NGOs to create more jobs for youths. Further, current government policy tends to focus on the supply side. Less emphasis has been placed on the demand side and comparable strategies to address the youth unemployment problems. The paper recommends that the in the new global economy, young people need to acquire more than just basic education, and curricula. They should be influenced by the current trends in of globalization, regional integration and technological transformation. The established public labour-intensive infrastructure projects in urban areas, like cobblestone, housing, Micro and Small Enterprises and others, need to be strengthened and supported by government, private sectors and NGOs, both technically and financially. Thus, government, private sector and NGOs should collaborate to establish a mechanism for a better and efficient approach to providing youth employment all over Ethiopia and in Addis Ababa in particular. It further suggests that appropriate monetary and fiscal policies are necessary for Ethiopia to effectively address its urban youth capacity building problems