Davis Urges Commonwealth to Act on Youth Jobs
The Bahamas' prime minister told Commonwealth leaders that young people should not graduate into a lack of job prospects.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Youth
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Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas challenged Commonwealth leaders at the 14th Commonwealth Youth Forum's High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue in Antigua to stop allowing young people to graduate without job prospects. He outlined three priorities for Commonwealth governments: recognition of qualifications, affordable internet access, and investment in education.
Why it matters
Six in ten people across the Commonwealth are under 30, and the longstanding promise that education would lead to employment has failed too many of them. Davis argued that economies have been unable to provide opportunities for young people's skills and qualifications.
Six in ten people across the Commonwealth are under 30, and roughly one in four young people is not working, studying, or receiving training. In some Commonwealth countries, two in three children have no internet access at home, and the source of these figures was not specified.
The players
Philip Davis
Philip Davis is the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, who used the Commonwealth forum to press member governments on youth employment and skills recognition.
Commonwealth Youth Forum
The Commonwealth Youth Forum is a gathering organised around young people's participation in Commonwealth affairs, and this year's edition was held in Antigua.
The details
Davis called on leaders to instruct their ministers to develop agreements recognising qualifications, so that credentials earned in The Bahamas would be accepted in Jamaica, Ghana, and Canada without repeating studies. He also called for targets on affordable internet access and for identified funding to bring more young people into training and paid employment.
Timeline
14th Commonwealth Youth Forum, Antigua: Davis delivered the challenge at the High-Level Intergenerational Dialogue.
Next Commonwealth meeting: leaders are expected to report how many young people gained internet access, had skills recognised, and moved from training into employment.
Youth
Davis invoked Sir Arthur Lewis, the St Lucian economist who won the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics after first training as an engineer before switching to economics, to frame the Commonwealth's youth talent as a resource that should be developed at home.
For young people across the Commonwealth, the proposals point toward easier recognition of qualifications between member countries and potentially cheaper internet access. Those planning study or work abroad should watch whether these agreements are actually adopted by national governments.
The takeaway
Education alone has not guaranteed work for young people, so the Commonwealth's proposals focus on the practical links between credentials, connectivity, and paid training. Tracking whether leaders report measurable progress will show if the commitments carry weight.
What happens next
At the next Commonwealth meeting, leaders are expected to report on how many young people gained internet access, had their skills recognised, and moved from training into employment.
Further reading
Explore more stories in our Youth section for context on young people's education and work prospects.
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