Rwanda has been one of the countries I’ve always wanted to visit for many reasons. But as an environment and climate change activist, one main reason that has always stood out is to have real-life interaction with the country’s extraordinary biodiversity and cleanliness.
Luckily for me, this long-cherished dream of mine came true faster than I could’ve imagined. I got nominated through the Africa Youth Partnership, an initiative of Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA) and its partners to represent The Gambia at the Youth Connekt Africa Summit 2022 alongside three other colleagues from Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria to talk about our initiative, network and exchange ideas and expertise with other young Africans.
First, let me say that I almost missed the opportunity of visiting Rwanda because my sponsor could not find any suitable flight from Banjul to Kigali, even 48hrs before my departure. So my trip almost got canceled. In fact, I did not receive my ticket on the morning of the day I was supposed to travel. I was so disappointed and had already given up on my Kigali dream. While sitting on my couch trying to convince myself to let go, I received an email notification from my sponsor at 10:12 am, and the message reads:
“Dear Dawda,
I hope my email finds you well. Please find your flight itinerary attached for your reference.”
At this moment, all hopes were restored, and I couldn’t be more excited about finally going to “the land of a thousand hills.”
At this point, my trip was certain but it came with a price – my flight starts from Banjul to Istanbul and then Kigali. I was like, “OMG! So I’ve to go all the way to Europe and come back to Africa!” But who is to blame? Well, Africa’s bad infrastructure and lack of proper regulatory measures has always placed the continent on the disadvantaged side. Even though the journey was long and tiring, it was a nice experience setting my foot on European soil for the first time and having to roam around the beautiful yet large airport of Istanbul. After a 9-hour transit in Istanbul, I took my flight to Kigali.
When I landed at the Kigali International Airport, I got my first impression at the baggage reclaim unit, where environment personnel were stationed to ensure that no plastics escaped the airport into the city. In my mind, I was like, “these people have a system, and it is working.” By the time I got to the arrival gate, my driver from Lemigo Hotel was already there to pick me. Before heading to my hotel, the Youth Connekt Staff at the airport escorted me to their stall to collect my details for transportation arrangements and other logistics for the conference period. The following day would be the opening ceremony at the BK Arena.
Attended by the President of Rwanda, Vice President of Kenya, Ministers, African football legends, and many other dignitaries, the opening ceremony was very colorful and memorable. Dressed in their cultural costumes, delegates from across Africa displayed their national flags and sang songs of patriotism showing their love for their countries. Frankie The Dino, UNDP Climate Activist also came in his Dinosaur Mask with a message, which reads: “Don’t Choose Extinction.” That message was so powerful and refreshing to me as a climate change activist. This follows a marathon of speeches delivered by Presidents of Senegal and Namibia virtually, Youth Connekt partners and organizers, etc. In his keynote speech, the Deputy President of Kenya, Rigathi Gachagua emphasized empowering African youth to meet their full potential saying that the people of Kenya are committed to that stride and have demonstrated that during their last elections, in which 33% of the national assembly seats were given to young people. In his opening statement, President Paul Kagame made a very strong, but inspirational speech. According to him, he has become a successful President because of discipline and a sense of purpose. These words really got me inspired and prepared to deliver for my country and Africa as a whole.
On the second day of the conference, I first attended the plenary session on the theme: “A just transition to a more resilient, inclusive sustainable climate future for Africa”, where the discussion was mainly centered on building resilient and sustainable communities across Africa. Speakers of this roundtable discussion made highlights of the projects and programs they are undertaking in their communities to ameliorate the impacts of climate change. A popular Nigerian reggae-dancehall singer, Patoranking was one of the panelists and he explained that he is leading climate action initiatives in his community to give back to his people. Connecting this session to the Africa Youth Partnership Call to Action on climate resilience, I was privileged to ask the panelist the following question:
“What should be Africa’s position at COP27 as a continent that bears the world’s worst climate crises even though it contributes least to the global emissions?”
Responding to my question, one of the panelists emphasized that Africa needs to explore the carbon market in order to boost its climate financing and as well as demand compensation from high emitting countries.
Similarly, I attended the plenary session on “The Future of Africa’s Agriculture and Food Systems.” Resonating with our Africa Youth Partnership Call to Action point 11, which talks about revitalizing Africa’s food systems in this changing climate through leveraging technology, this session expanded my understanding on how technology could be used to promote efficiency and productivity in food production in Africa. I was astonished by the loss of over 30% of cereals, 50% of root tubers and 70% of vegetables produced in Africa because of insufficient markets. But what fascinates me is how African entrepreneurs are using technology to bridge the gap between farmers and their markets to avoid post-harvest loss.
I ended my second day with attending the plenary session on the theme “Investing in Young People’s Health: Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Mental Health (MH).” This session was important because it broadened my scope on mental health and presented me with tips to manage my own mental health.
On the third and final day of the summit, I first attended the session on: “Leapfrogging into the Digital Era”, co-organised by the Ministry of ICT & Innovation (Rwanda) and YouthConnekt Africa Hub. This plenary touched on provision of digital skills for young Africans to excel in their businesses and thrive in the digital economy while computing with the global community. This session also seeks to pave a way for African youth to lead the transformation of the continent through bringing technology to the doorstep of every African child. Contributing to the session virtually, Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister said Africa’s leapfrog into the digital era could be more effective if more investments are made in the following:
- Transformative governance
- Skilling, up-skilling & re-skilling
- Technology, data management, and digital solutions
Now to what would become my last session of the summit: “Re-imagining Business for Africa’s Cultural Creative Industry & Sports Economies”. This session seeks to explore more opportunities for African youth in the creative industry. For instance, getting international recognition and contracts, partnership opportunities, skill building and talent promotion. After this session, the Youth Task Teams from West and Eastern Africa had a familiarization meeting and discussion around our country projects.
Happened immediately after the session on CCI & Sports Economies, the closing ceremony witnessed presentation of recommendations and resolutions made throughout the summit for actions to be taken. The beneficiaries of Youth Connekt Africa Awards were also featured, who explained their experiences and the difference the award made in their lives. The summit ended with a city tour and night show.
After the summit, I spent 2 more days before flying back to The Gambia. During those two days, I had the chance to visit the city of Kigali and other sites. Places I visited include the Kigali Mall, car-free zone, Rwanda Memorial Genocide, hilly sites, and Fazenda Sengha, where I had fun doing the Zip-line for the first time.
Overall, I found Rwanda to be a very beautiful country, neat, with very receptive people, who are disciplined and law-abiding. I loved how organized Kigali is and the level of security everywhere. I made lots of friends whom I can’t wait to meet again. Finally, I would like to thank Ford Foundation through Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA) for not only giving me to chance to attend the Youth Connekt Africa Summit 2022, but for making my Rwanda dreams a reality. This is an experience I’ll cherish for a lifetime.
