Conclusion

Harnessing the youth demographic dividend, as this book has shown, requires all aspects of society to pull together. It is an endeavour that no one component of society can achieve on its own. First, it requires a realisation by all of society that young people are not a liability but are an asset. A dividend is an asset, thus the title of this book. Once society recognises that young people are an asset, then a number of actors and processes have to kick in. These actors and processes must kick in aware and ready to manage any associated risks. These include pandemics and epidemics that continue to afflict societies unannounced. A society that is unprepared to manage risks is a society doomed to failure.