The rapid rise in the numbers of degreed and certificated diploma holders since independence, coupled with a lack of job opportunities in the areas for which these persons have been trained, have led to unemployment and underemployment of educated persons in Francophone West Africa. Suggested solutions include but are not limited to secondary and postsecondary education offering better career counseling based on the demands of the job market; improving manpower planning and forecasting techniques; and assisting efforts to develop the rural sectors of the economy by training and retraining labor to meet the occupational needs of these sectors. (JAM)