By: Mercy Darko
More than 2000 youth across Africa have converged on Ghana for the 4th Edition of the Youth Connekt Africa Summit. The summit is an annual platform that connects youth from across Africa and beyond with leadership to engage, discuss, design and accelerate youth empowerment efforts at the continental level.
At the official opening of the Summit, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said Africa is on the brink of a breakthrough with its youthful population stressing the need for the Continent to focus more on job creation.
He said if the youth are provided with the enabling environment, they will excel and will not be lured into other social vices.
Dr Bawumia called for a change of mind-set to move away from handouts from developed countries.
Mercy Darko reports that Agenda 2063 which was adopted in 2015 at the 24th African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government, enjoins African countries to chart a way forward in a shared strategic framework for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
The strategic document was developed through a people-driven process. As part of efforts to help achieve this goal, the Youth Connekt Africa Summit was created and the 1st Summit was held in Kigali, Rwanda, focusing on bridging the gap between different nations by bringing together government leaders & Policy influencers and implementers of youth policies to share knowledge & ideas that can assist the Continent to achieve the African Youth Charter and the SDGs.
This year’s event, which is being hosted by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and National Youth Authority, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), attracted over 2,000 delegates across Africa and beyond.
Vice President Bawumia noted that Africans have a lot to learn from each other as its works towards moving beyond aid adding that Africa can do better and succeed like other continents. This however calls for more concerted effort and empowerment of the youth to lead the much needed change.
The Minister of Youth and Culture of Rwanda, Rosemary Mbabazi who represented the President of Paul Kagame said the Continent has a lot of prospects and if harnessed properly, it will propel Africa to greater opportunities for the youth.
Ghana’s Minister for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Yussif, outlining the focus of the Summit stressed that the African Youth are the key agents of development and must be included in the process. He called for more robust policies to create opportunities for the youth.
The President of CAF, Patrice Motsepe said the Youth in Africa should be optimistic about the prospects of the African Continent.
He said the Continent has a lot to offer especially with its budding youthful population.
Africa Beyond Aid: Positioning the Youth for the Post Covid Economy and AfCFTA Opportunities” is the theme chosen for the 3-Day event with the hashtag #youthcandoit#
