Some 133 million young people (half of Africa's young) are illiterate; many have few or no skills. Such figures tell their own story: African youth need vocational training. This brief reports that technical and vocational systems in Africa are poorly funded and managed, and advocates for the integration of skill-development strategies into poverty-reduction strategies, focusing on sectors with promising employment prospects. [This report was based on the "African Economic Outlook, 2008," and was published jointly by the African Development Bank and the OECD Development Centre with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.]