Kampala. African youth have called for greater investment in peacebuilding, skills development and inclusive opportunities to address challenges including unemployment, insecurity and tribalism.
The call was made during the fourth B!ll Now Now (BNN) Africa Youth Summit in Kampala, ahead of International Youth Day, which will be commemorated on August 12.
The summit brought together young people from across Africa to discuss challenges and opportunities in their communities, with other stakeholders offering possible solutions.
Esther Keji from South Sudan said insecurity remains one of the major challenges facing young people in the country, with ongoing conflicts disrupting education, livelihoods and participation in civic affairs.
“We want to invest more in peace building and inclusive opportunities that will enable young people to rebuild their lives and achieve their development aspirations,” she said.
Ugandan participant and a representative of UNESCO’s 03 Plus Programme, Mukiibi Sharifi stressed the need to invest in creativity, innovation and youth skills development to unlock opportunities in Africa’s growing creative and digital economies.
According to the African Union (AU), nearly 60 percent of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, making the continent the world’s youngest.
Founder and executive director of Reach A Hand Africa, Humphrey Nabimanya commended the summit for focusing on implementation, saying many youth-focused meetings often end without concrete action.
“There are many youth-focused discussions and meetings that are merely symbolic, but this year’s Summit is meaningful because it is focused on taking action,” he said.
Discussions at the summit focused on six priority areas: sexual and reproductive health, mental health, entrepreneurship and trade, education and skills, climate change and the green economy and responsible technology and artificial intelligence (AI)
