YouthConnekt Africa (YCA) is an African home-grown solution positioned to provide relevant solutions for the global South and to support the implementation of relevant South-South initiatives to empower youth. The platform seeks to empower young people by enhancing their knowledge, experiences and skills while investing in their ideas, innovations and initiatives. Its vision is to connect African youth for socio-economic transformation.
Restless Development and Youth Opportunities and Transformation Trust with support from Ford Foundation are implementing a project called Africa Youth Partnership in ten countries (Gambia, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda). The project is working with brilliant young leaders who are Youth Task Teams in their respective countries. The overall aim of the project is to ensure an equitable recovery from Covid19 where young people play a starring role. Ten representatives from Youth Task Teams attended the Africa Summit and observed the following:
Young people should search for opportunities outside of their boundaries in addition to searching for opportunities within their boundaries. Governments and NGO/CSOs must create supportive environments that educate youth about available opportunities so that they may access them.
The Digital Economy:
Young people should carefully scrutinise the digital economy. Most African countries’ governments have not created friendly policies to benefit from the digital economy, and CSOs/NGOs ought to advocate for policies that promote digital economies and businesses. Digital inclusion should not be overlooked, and governments need to establish policies that make it easier for digital businesses to flourish in Africa.
Revitalising the education sector:
It is important that governments revise their education curricula to reflect the current job market. Youth and CSOs/NGOs should work together to promote this initiative. In this case, political will is critical. ICT, employability skills, and entrepreneurship skills should also be emphasised. The Covid 19 Pandemic had a huge impact on the education sector, in which lessons should be drawn to revitalise and improve the sector.
Availing the platforms:
Additionally, it is imperative to advocate for localised youth summits at different levels in African nations, such as at the district, regional, and national levels. These platforms allow networking and peer learning and sharing, which stimulates innovation in ideas and business among young people. CSOs/NGOs were encouraged to collaborate and not compete in order to bring change in their various countries. As a result of the lack of collaboration, youth empowerment programmes are not coordinated, there are many duplicated efforts, and some youth groups have been left behind.
Global Heating:
Leaders recognised the role of young people in tackling the effects of climate change. Stakeholders should help young people become champions for climate change adaptation in Africa. African Governments should take action and fund climate change adaptation initiatives.
Rising shadow pandemic- Mental health education must be integrated into all our interventions, as this issue is becoming increasingly important globally. We should include this in our existing programs. Governments in African countries must embrace mental health programs that are effective. Young people should lead the way.
Partnering with Peak Youth:
Governments in Africa should engage and empower youth decision-making platforms to better serve their populations. There should be political support for this approach. Youth should be able to participate in various decision-making processes, whether they are local, regional, or national. Governments should give youth opportunities to participate in some positions. There should be mentorship programmes for young people. CSOs/NGOs should consider giving youth leadership positions, leadership training, and other programmes to strengthen youth participation. Youth should advocate for participation in decision-making platforms.
In order to promote an inclusive, sustainable, and equitable recovery of our economy from the Covid19 pandemic, we call on governments, partners, and all other stakeholders to work in partnership with young people. We must believe in the potential and resilience of young people.
