VOA标准英语2012--Rising Youth Unemployment Endangers Africa's Stability

 

Rising Youth Unemployment Endangers Africa's Stability

One example is Ahmet Toure of Senegal who has never had a job. Toure makes his living buying second-hand¹ jeans from flea² markets around Dakar. Toure repairs and retailors them to sell them for a profit, usually about $2 to $3 a pair.

"Sometimes I wake up and I say today's not going to be a good day," said Toure. "I'm not going to have any money because I rely on my merchandise to survive. I can't hold out my hand and ask for my money. That is not me. So, I just tell myself, ok, no problem, I'm going to try to deal with this. Maybe, one day, things will get better."

He once dreamed of being an architect, but dropped out after high school 12 years ago to help his family. He, like hundreds of thousands of other Senegalese, makes his living in the informal sector³.

Unemployment rates in Senegal hover⁴ around 40 percent.

In the crowded, low-income suburbs of Dakar, young men gather for endless rounds of tea and conversation. "Everyday is Sunday" is a joke too common and too real to be funny.

Earlier this year, scores of angry youths took to the streets in what became violent anti-government protests ahead of the presidential election. The unrest killed at least six people and shook this traditionally peaceful democracy.

Senegal has weathered the storm for now. But the new government, and governments around the region, face intense pressure to create jobs for young people.

Africa has the youngest population in the world, and its ranks are growing. The number of Africans aged⁵ 15 to 24 is set to double to 400 million by 2045.

The African Development Bank and the U.N. predict the current rate of job creation, already insufficient⁶, will not keep pace with the population boom and this next generation of Africans will struggle to find work.

It's a dangerous prospect⁷. The World Bank has found that one in two young people who join rebel movements cite unemployment as their main motivation.

In West Africa, unemployment fuels political violence and recruitment into armed groups, including the Islamist extremist movements in the Sahel.

Economists⁸ say Africa is currently experiencing "jobless" economic growth, and it's more than a security risk. It's a waste, they say, of the continent's most valuable resource: its young people. 

1 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

2 flea   

n.跳蚤

参考例句：

• I'll put a flea in his ear if he bothers me once more.如果他再来打扰的话，我就要对他不客气了。
• Hunter has an interest in prowling around a flea market.亨特对逛跳蚤市场很感兴趣。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 hover   

vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫

参考例句：

• You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
• A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

7 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

8 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》