Every year, millions of young Africans join the job market, looking for a chance to earn a living and build a future. Accelerating economic growth and creating more and better jobs is essential to keep pace with the working-age population, which is expected to increase by over 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa alone between now and 2050. What will it take to create enough opportunities for them?
The Africa Growth and Opportunity: Research in Action (AGORA 2026) conference will focus on exploring how investments in skills can be translated into jobs that drive growth at scale in Africa. Launched as the flagship platform of the World Bank Group Institute for Economic Development, AGORA was created to bring together policymakers, researchers, development institutions, think tanks, and private-sector leaders around one goal: translating knowledge into action to unlock Africa’s economic potential and turn growth into lasting jobs.
To fulfill this goal, following the first 2025 AGORA conference, partners and participants called for deeper collaboration and continued engagement beyond a single annual event. AGORA in Motion responds to that call.
Throughout the year, AGORA in Motion has become a space where ideas are tested, partnerships are strengthened, and evidence informs real-world decisions. At the Growth Academy Africa in Pretoria, experts and development practitioners discussed how to help businesses grow and create more jobs. In Kigali and in Abidjan, policymakers, researchers, and private sector leaders looked at how to keep expanding access to energy to power economies. In Nairobi, local experts and researchers from around the world analyzed the latest evidence on industrial policy and how countries can build stronger industries to create jobs, strengthen trade, reduce food insecurity, and support innovations.
