Nairobi — President William Ruto has urged the International Labour Organization (ILO) to include discussions on the millions of unemployed youth.

Their inclusion, Ruto said, will open the door to sustainable solutions to the unemployment crisis.

ILO discussions had focused on employed individuals, leaving out those without jobs, the head of state said.

"As we speak about matters pertaining to work, we must also speak about the millions of jobless people whose voices cannot be heard at conferences like this," said the President.

Ruto was also concerned that unemployment on the African continent was the highest globally, with many countries in the global South recording up to a quarter and a third of their local populace as jobless.

"Africa has a vast opportunity to radically transform economic productivity, thereby creating employment on an unprecedented scale," added the president.

He drummed up support for the consolidation of African market through the implementation of the Africa Free Trade Area, creating jobs.

He made the remarks while attending the ILO world summit that went down in Geneva, Switzerland.