On April 7, IPA Associate Director of Business and Program Development Faith McCollister participated in a panel discussion on youth unemployment at the 2018 African Economic Forum, held at Columbia University. The panel focused on the complex causes of youth unemployment in Africa and potential solutions to alleviate the problems it presents. During the discussion, McCollister noted the lack of an evidence-backed "silver bullet" for solving unemployment and emphasized the need for ongoing rigorous research. She also cited findings from several IPA studies, from a study that found positive effects from employment for ex-combatant men in Liberia to one finding that workers in Ethiopia who were offered industrial jobs earned no higher wages and suffered higher health risks than a comparison group.

The theme of the event was "African Innovation: Leveraging the Present to Shape the Future." More information about the panel is available on the conference website's panels page.