By Edna Ezinneamaka Onunaku
The Chairman of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has called on the African Youth to break down all the obstacles limiting their vitality and their transformative energy of the continent.
He made the call in a statement released on the occasion of the annual celebration of the African Youth Day on Nov 1, themed, “Breaking down the obstacles to participation and inclusion of young people through advocacy.”
While guessing the growth projection of youth demography to around 850 million in 2050 from its present 482 million estimation, Mahamat stressed the significance of youth participation and inclusion of young people in the affairs of the world as related to Africa, hence he invites everyone ‘to scrutinise the multiple meanings proven or implied in the chosen theme. He said,
“‘We must, of course, have the courage to recognize that the obstacles to the inclusion of young people are to be found on the side of governance. The rule of law, the acquisition and safeguarding of political, economic, cultural and social rights are to be placed at the beating heart of this governance.’
‘The multiplicity of obstacles sometimes push certain sections of our youth to develop, under the weight of the suffering linked to underemployment, a hazy perception of themselves, of their future, of their respective countries and of Africa.’
‘A glance at the number of young Africans who perish under the torrid heat of the desert, in the cold and unforgiving waters of the Mediterranean, in search of an imaginary paradise located in other continents than their own, attests to a malaise that is far from being favorable to the production of innovative ideas on which any authentic development process feeds.’
‘The participation and inclusion of young people are called upon to translate into a contribution of new blood to the various debates through a renewal of ideas. A positive state of mind, steeped in resilience, patience, steeped in the virtues of probity and active faith in the future, remains the guarantee of triple political, economic and social effectiveness,'” he noted.
In Mahamat’s dream ‘to see the third Pan-African Youth Day, giving itself the means to deepen reflection on the obstacles to be overcome in order to liberate youth from negative perceptions and inscribe their assault of the future in a positive and creative dynamic of innovation and change,’ he dwelt particularly on the efforts expected of the youth in respect of their participation and their inclusion in this new dynamic of development set in motion by the African Union since the adoption in 2013 of Agenda 2063.’
‘The African Youth Charter is our pennant illuminating the way forward in youth participation and inclusion. To this end, it not only strongly reaffirms the need for such inclusion, but also and above all, it specifies the obligations of the various actors, namely the States, the African Union Commission and the young people themselves. Our ardent wish is that this trilogy operates in total synergy of understanding, actions and evaluation in order to invent a real symphony that resonates like an ode to this Africa that we want,’ he opined.
Mahamat concluded by saying that ‘Africa will, therefore, have to, in the years and decades to come count on the scientific and technological competence of its youth today to increase it’s competitive aptitude in an increasingly interdependent world, dominated by the cold logic of global competition.'”
