The World Bank says a lack of good jobs for an increasing number of young people in Africa threatens the continent’s recent economic growth. The Bank says economic development is important to success, especially in areas south of the Sahara Desert.

Shanta Devarajan is the World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa. He says the number of young people entering the work force is one of the main reasons Africa’s economic growth will continue.

“Africa may be the only source of young people very soon, because the rest of the world is aging and some of the world -- including Europe and, and Japan and the U.S. -- are aging quite rapidly. So this is potentially -- Africa could be a great powerhouse in the future.”

Shanta Devarajan says a growing population of young people could threaten economic development if it is not controlled in the right way.

“The most important risk or the most important threat is the fact that despite all of this growth, the number of productive jobs being created as a result of growth is still very limited relative to the number of young people entering the labor force every year.”

The World Bank says sales of natural resources can help developing countries, but they must be used to help improve the lives of average citizens. And good governance will help ensure that citizens, both rich and poor, can profit from such sales. Punam Chuhan-Pole is the World Bank’s Lead Economist for Africa.