Young people in Africa have pledged to work harder and ensure that the continent achieves its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
In a virtual discussion organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) under the theme听鈥淎frica鈥檚 Youth in The Decade of Action: Actors or Bystanders鈥� on December 20, youth from across the continent agreed that they have a role to play in ensuring that Africa achieves the SDGs.听
Climate and environmental activist, Elizabeth Wathuti, commended her peers across Africa who are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the SDGs are attained by 2030.
鈥淎s a climate activist, I have not been sitting back and feeling helpless鈥 started growing trees at the tender age of seven,鈥� she said.
Ms. Wathuti noted, however, that Africa鈥檚 youth need to be taken more seriously and that their voices and interests should be an integral part of decision-making processes.
"Youth engagement doesn't mean inviting young people to panels. Serious engagement means internalizing the fact that young people and future generations have the biggest stake in decisions made today,鈥� said Ms. Wathuti.
The UN Secretary-General鈥檚 Envoy on Youth, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, said Africa is blessed to have the world鈥檚 youngest population with a median age of just 19.7 years.听 She expressed confidence in the youths鈥� ability to steer the continent鈥檚 trajectory in the 21st听century, cautioning that 鈥渢heir success or failure will also be that of the continent as a whole.鈥�
Ms. Vera Songwe, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNECA Executive Secretary, said despite the negative effects, COVID-19 has presented huge opportunities in the areas of innovation and tourism, showing that Africa has the potential to grow and create jobs for its youth.
She urged young people to use such opportunities to 鈥渃reate their own jobs and become the employers and entrepreneurs for a prosperous Africa by 2030.鈥�
Ms Songwe cited an UNECA youth programme 鈥楢frican Girls Can Code鈥� - which links girls across Africa, enabling them to learn the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and gaming - as an initiative that also creates jobs for young girls in Africa.听
Ms Songwe said with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Africa can begin to manufacture on the continent and do value addition across the different sectors of our economy.听
She pointed out that young people would the most impacted by the SDGs, stating 鈥渢hey stand to gain the most from high-quality education, decent work, gender equality and a healthy planet 鈥� or to lose the most if the world fails to reach those goals. Their energy, ideals and initiatives are crucial for achieving the Goals.鈥�
Ms. Emma Theofelus, Namibia鈥檚 deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Technology, said making data accessible to youth will go a long way to enhance Africa鈥檚 growth, adding: 鈥淲e need young people in decision-making positions. They should be at the tables where Africa's future is being discussed.鈥澨�
Adji Bousso Dieng, Founder of The Africa I Know, noted that what is missing is investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have the skills and infrastructure in place that can transform raw material into final products for export. This denies the youth the employment opportunity on the continent.鈥�
The need for increased collaboration to enhance growth in Africa was underscored by Thobo Khathola, the managing director of Lion Tutoring, who expressed hope that 鈥渢he AfCFTA would enable us collaborate even more.鈥澨� 听
听The issue of unemployment, poverty and lack of education was raised by Achalake Christian Leke, the executive director of LOYOC Cameroon, who noted 鈥渢his is a big problem for Africa鈥� and needs to be tackled immediately. 鈥淭his needs to be addressed if we want to see any progress on the continent.鈥�
听The event served as a platform for young people to engage with leaders, to renew their commitment to the 2030 Agenda and to advocate for urgency, ambition, and action to realize SDGs; provide African youth a virtual hub to mobilize, reflect on their needs and aspirations, and establish coalitions for positive change through the achievement of the Goals.
It was also an opportunity for young leaders to share best practices, experiences, and challenges in their work towards the Goals, and brainstorm concrete ideas and actions that young women and men can take in their respective communities, countries, and regions to ensure that Africa achieves the Goals by 2030.
