ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — President Barack Obama says creating jobs and opportunity for the next generation is Africa’s most urgent task.

Obama says Africa’s population is predicted to double in the coming decades, and to include many people younger than 18.

But he says Africa needs only look to the Middle East and North Africa to understand how large numbers of jobless youth who feel disenfranchised can fuel instability and disorder.

The president says Africa can begin the process by taking any number of steps, including making it easier to create businesses, eliminating government corruption and providing education.

Obama commented Tuesday during an address to the continent at the headquarters of the African Union.

It marked the end of Obama’s five-day visit to Africa that included stops in Ethiopia and Kenya, his father’s birthplace.

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