Tourism
The continent’s quasi infinite rolling savannas and open grasslands, long sandy coastlines with serene beaches and perfect summer weather provide a haven for most tourists. Africa’s plains provide wild animals with a sanctuary that they call home and most tourists come to visit them in their wild settings.
This industry in Africa contributes to 8.5% of the continents GDP and employs over 2% of its population. This industry has also led to increased job opportunities in the hospitality and catering sector which also highly contributes to the continent’s booming job sectors.
Africa’s potential is far from being fully exploited and with continual support and investment from new players such as Brazil and China, Africa is set to climb to new territories and emerge as a major player on the global economic scene.
While the agriculture and mineral extraction sector are still two major industries in Africa, the face of the continent is rapidly changing. In addition to relying on undiscovered deposits of oil, minerals, precious metals and large uncultivated arable lands among others, many young Africans will be entering the job market and adding to the 200 million other Africans who entered the continent’s booming consumer sector leading up to 2015.
The continent also prides itself on having a wide range of flora and fauna, with avid tourists from around the globe seeking adventure in its open grasslands and savannas. Many analysts have been keeping an eye out on the continent and came up with three major employment sectors to watch in 2016. Here they are:
Service Industry
The service industry is fast gaining momentum on the continent. Some noticeable services whose demand keeps growing at a very fast pace include the banking services, investment services, health care services and information sector services. Basing on findings from a survey done in Kenya; the fastest growing economy in East Africa, as of 2011, the private healthcare sector had employed more than 65,000 nurses alone.
The healthcare industry has also seen an influx of doctors and nurses from other countries or the African diaspora who volunteer to work in the continents. Many young students are opting for an online education and prefer to get their DNP online instead of seeking an education overseas. Nurses with a doctorate in nursing practice, many coming from Bradley University, are a very hot commodity at the moment with many countries trying to improve their healthcare infrastructure.
Infrastructure
Most countries in Africa are currently experiencing a boom in the building construction sector. This comes in the backdrop of the continued need for shelter for the rapid growing population. This boom has created a job market for civil and structural engineers, architects, casual laborer among other professionals in the building industry from far and within.
Increased population has also created a demand for better road connectivity and this has brought about a revolution in the transportation sector. Most governments in African countries are now pumping large amounts of money in ensuring that roads, sewerage, water supply and electrical grids are greatly improved and increased to provide more coverage for its population. As we all know, infrastructure plays a very important role in a country’s economy, improvements in the same has resulted in increased business and investments in these countries which has in turn created more jobs in other sectors.
