Africa’s youth are calling out!

As Africa’s ministers for youth gather this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss issues relevant to the continent’s youth, one cannot stress enough the need for concrete measures to be adopted to address the plight of African youth. Besides the ratification of conventions and photo opportunities, African governments need to truly address the vital issues of unemployment, immigration, conflict, and HIV/AIDS, which continue to be a burden on African youth.

No doubt, economic empowerment is the way to go in terms of genuinely helping the youth. Poor economic conditions are the prime factor that has led youths to be used as tools by unscrupulous politicians and factions. The challenges confronting youth in Africa are further complicated and made considerably more serious by the pervasive impact of war. Recent history indicates that no region – and few countries – in Africa have been free of the ravages of civil war, international conflicts, violent and dictatorial governments, and the intervention of outside powers. These disruptions continue to drive an increasing number of disenchanted youths to join militias, gangs and even to risk their lives fleeing conflicts.

As has been the case in most post-election wrangles, the youth are used by factions to cause chaos and anarchy. We all know that unemployment breeds disgruntlement, and than hopes and aspirations of the youth are easily hijacked by empty political promises. This cycle needs to end.
When addressing the issue of the African youth, governments should not take selective approaches, wooing youth during election campaigns yet remaining tight-lipped on their plight following the casting of votes. If we continue to cheer and proclaim that the future of Africa rests on its youth, we should also make sure that we give them a legacy. Youth empowerment should be a process whereby the youth of Africa first earn decent incomes, secondly, manage, control or drive entrepreneurially income generation, thirdly own existing or upcoming economic ventures, and lastly, possess marketable and sustainable skills.

In order to do this, we should all ensure that the youth are integrated within the socio-economic and cultural facets of the African community - fair representation of the youth is a goal yet to be achieved. In the wake of emerging economies of the likes of India and China, Africa should look towards harnessing its youthful human resources to spearhead economic growth. There is little doubt that Africa can make a turnaround in its economic sphere – if the youth are equipped to utilize the continent’s rich resources.

Africa’s youth constitute a largely untapped resource for ingenuity, stability, and economic growth. The idea of the African youth as a lost resource should not be allowed to persist, but rather efforts should be made to ensure that African youth stand proud among other youth from the rest of the world.
Investment in the youth is a matter that cannot delay. With the under-18 population representing as high as 70 percent of the total population in some nations, the youth do truly own the future. It is also clear that marginalizing the African youth is a violation of other fundamental freedoms that directly reflects the insincerity of African leadership towards achieving the African millennium, which was proclaimed with much pomp and circumstance not long ago. The African youth have made the call. The question is, will we answer them?•


October 11, 2002