By Joannes Yimbesalu MC/MPA Mason 2025
This April, global development experts, policymakers, and private sector leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and identify scalable solutions for inclusive economic growth at the 2025 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings. Among the attendees was Joannes Yimbesalu MC/MPA Mason 2025. In his personal essay below, Yimbesalu reflects on his experience and the lessons he learned.
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I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 2025 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., which I discovered through the Harvard Center for International Development. The theme of this year’s gathering, “Jobs: The Path to Prosperity,” felt particularly timely and relevant, especially for Africa where youth unemployment continues to be one of the most urgent development challenges.
Two sessions stood out: “Boosting SME Finance for Growth and Job Creation” and “Job Creation in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities.” These sessions highlighted the vital role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in driving economic transformation and employment in Africa. The key message from both discussions was the need to support African SMEs in transitioning from informality to formality. Informal businesses make up a significant portion of Africa’s private sector—enabling them to formalize will unlock productivity, expand access to finance, and ultimately create millions of sustainable jobs for youth.
I also learned about the importance of designing financing mechanisms that are accessible to young entrepreneurs, particularly women and those in rural or conflict-affected areas. One speaker noted, “Africa doesn’t have a shortage of ideas; it has a shortage of the right capital reaching the right hands.”
The sessions emphasized the need to create an enabling environment through policy reforms, infrastructure investment, and access to affordable capital to stimulate private sector-led job growth.
A personal highlight was meeting World Bank Vice President for Budget, Performance Review, and Strategic Planning Samuel Maimbo, who many expect will be the next president of the African Development Bank (AfDB). I was deeply inspired by his humility, soft-spoken nature, and clear vision for Africa’s future.
During a session led by The Brookings Institution, Maimbo laid out his compelling vision for Africa’s development, one that is bold, grounded in experience, and youth focused. He emphasized the need to invest in job-rich sectors like agriculture, housing, and the creative industries. He also spoke about unlocking the power of the digital economy to bridge opportunity gaps and enable Africa to leapfrog traditional development pathways.
One quote that stayed with me is when he said: “My generation needs to trust our young people more. Creating jobs at scale requires throwing everything—and the kitchen sink—at the problem.”
Maimbo’s sentiment resonates with my beliefs and the work I have done through various youth development initiatives with UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited. Maimbo also shared the importance of empowering fragile states—not waiting for peace before investing, but rather recognizing that investing in these regions is itself a catalyst for peace and stability.
His message about moving from planning to execution at pace and scale was clear: Africa already has enough ideas and strategies. What we need now are leaders who are bold enough to implement them, and partners who are committed to delivering real, measurable outcomes. From his track record securing a historic $93 billion financing package for global development and spearheading budget reforms at the World Bank, Maimbo seems ready to lead with impact.
Another key takeaway for me was the importance of partnerships, especially public-private-youth partnerships. Creating jobs at scale is not something any one sector or actor can achieve alone. We need everyone at the table: governments, development institutions, local businesses, young entrepreneurs, civil society, and technology innovators. Collaboration is not optional; it is essential.
I left the Spring Meetings feeling energized, encouraged, and hopeful. Despite the scale of the challenges, the conversations and commitments made during the sessions gave me confidence that we’re moving in the right direction.
Africa has the people, ideas, and resilience; it’s time we match that with bold investments, youth-centered policies, and courageous leadership.
The Spring Meetings were, to me, more than just a professional experience; they were a powerful reminder of why I do the work I do. As someone passionate about youth empowerment and economic transformation, being in the same room with changemakers from around the world reminded me that the fight for opportunity and dignity for every young African is a pursuit worth undertaking relentlessly.
Overall, the meetings strengthened resolve to continue championing policies, investments, and partnerships that uplift young people as architects of Africa’s future.
About Joannes Yimbesalu MC/MPA Mason 2025
Joannes Yimbesalu is committed to advancing equity, youth empowerment, and global development. With over a decade of experience across Africa, he has led transformative initiatives in education, skills development, and employment. He is the founder of Nanaade, an AI-enabled platform that connects young African job seekers with tailored employment opportunities, helping to close the gap between skills supply and labor market demand. He also leads the Africa Skills Alliance, a pan-African policy and research initiative that advocates for second-chance education, digital skills, and workforce development solutions for young people, particularly those not in education, employment, or training. Yimbesalu is a published author, bilingual in English and French, and a member of multiple organizational boards.
Photos courtesy of Joannes Yimbesalu
