“The need to empower the youth has been the focus of the AUC for decades”
The AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, H.E. Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, says the AUC has been focusing for decades on the need to empower the youth in Africa. This, she said in her statement before the 9th Annual Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments, held on the 10th August at the Headquarters of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa.
The representative of the AUC presented the conceptual framework and AU Roadmap on harnessing the demographic dividend through investments in youth, considering that “as African youth population increases, the discourse and response has intensified” in terms of emphasizing on the need to empower the African youth to be enabled to participate in the development of the continent.
She said because 60% of Africa population is under 35 years old, “it is evident that it becomes urgent for Africa to devise and implement the necessary policies that will ensure that their quality of life and opportunities are enhanced, and that Africans are set on the road to achieving Agenda 2063”.
Talking about the spectacular demographic growth in many African countries, Prof. Sarah said that this presents the continent with an opportunity to stimulate growth and stability through strategic and deliberate investments in the youth.
For this reason, she said, the African leaders decided to dedicate the theme of the year 2017 to “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth”, to confirm the high level of priority that should be placed on youth issues.
That decision of the African Heads of States and Governments further “called on the AUC and partners to develop a roadmap of key deliverables and expedite the implementation of a continental initiative on demographic dividend for Africa.”
The AU Roadmap, she recalled, identifies 4 pillars of investment that are a perquisite to the African aspirations, mainly “employment and entrepreneurship, education and skills development, health and well-being and rights, governance and youth empowerment.”
“The development of our continent is a task shared by many, including our honorable Parliamentarians across Africa,” she said, also highlighting that their effort to enable the implementation of AU treaties, policies and plans needed assistance because “policies, legislation and advocacy for implementation play a significant role in the creation of these spaces where the work on the four pillars can be conducted in the most efficient manner possible.”
She finally expressed her gratitude, on behalf of the AUC, on the invitation to participate in this meeting, saying that the call of the AUC is in itself was “recognition of the importance of the 2017 theme and demonstrates just how highly the Pan-African Parliament places the empowerment of our youth and demographic dividend agenda.”
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