African Youth Economic Forum

–

AYG Conference 2011Speech by Jemila Abdulai on August 10, 2011

African Youth in the 21

Century:

Common History, Endless Possibilities

On December 17, 2010, the world was greeted with news of a Tunisian man who set himself on fire after hisvegetable cart was seized by police forces. A high school graduate, 26-year old Mohammed Bouazizi was strugglingto make ends meet despite the fact that his degree made him one of the more privileged in his society.I often wonder what went through his head as he lit the flame that ultimately ended his life. Most likely, he did notexpect to spark off a series of revolutions that would eventually topple regimes across the Middle East, nor did heimagine that his act of self-immolation would go as far as stirring Malawian and Senegalese citizens to action againstso-called leaders. Through the desperate act of one young man who just wanted to sell his vegetables and feed hisfamily, an entire continent is now engulfed by the winds of change.Bouazizi's story is by no means unique. Thousands of African youth find themselves in similar, if not worse,situations.

Africa’s

youth population represents the second largest regional youth grouping, after Asia. At 72% youthdominate the number of Africans currently living on less than $2 a day, and 3 in 5 unemployed Africans also fall withinthe same age bracket. Evidently, the challenges confronting Africa's youth are many- lack of access to education,limited financial resources for embarking on innovative, income generating ventures, inconsistent electricity and watersupply; exposure to natural disasters and conflict, you name it, the list seems endless. With the current economiccrisis, all these challenges are aggravated.Challenges notwithstanding, we are at the juncture of what could possibly be classified as the most exciting era in ourcommon history as African youth. Thanks to the transformative power of technology, our growing economies are nowknowledge-driven. You and I now have access to unimaginable volumes of information, including how the highlysuccessful movie

Avatar

was produced; various documents on economic policy and interventions and eveninformation dating back decades before any of us were probably born. With the internet and social networking toolslike Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, we can interact and collaborate with our peers in other parts of the world with asimple click of a button. Initiatives by government, business and community-based programs alike open up a world ofopportunity in skills training and development, and with anti-retroviral drugs and advancements in research, scientistsare close to possibly finding a cure to HIV/AIDS.Whenever I encounter a

kayayo

(female porter), I think,

this could have been me

. Like them, I come from theNorthern region - one of the most deprived areas of Ghana - but unlike them, I had access to education andresources. Really,

that’s

the only thing that set us apart. One of

Africa’s

key obstacles is its representation in theglobal media. More often than not we have negative images and accounts portrayed of us via various media channelsand this not only restricts opportunities, but undermines the hard work, vision and passion that are alive in Africa. Inorder to help change this and stimulate access to relevant information, I started my blog Circumspecte.com in 2007.

Over the years it has become a platform where young and old people alike can share on issues, learn, andbrainstorm solutions. Information, they say is power. By investing in education and information access, we empowerourselves.Now, more than ever, we, Africa

’

s youth, have inspiring role models to look up to. But perhaps the most inspiringelement of all this is what Africa's youth themselves are doing to change the course of our dear continent's future. Forinstance, in July 2009 a group of passionate young men and women from Africa and the Diaspora met at the JohnsHopkins University Washington, DC campus for a day of discussion, brainstorming and networking on issues relatedto Africa through the BarCamp movement. During the health session of BarCamp Diaspora 2009, an NGO called

Representatives for Equal Access to Community Healthcare (REACH) was born. Last year, the REACH team offered

various health screenings to impoverished communities in Ghana and continues to work hard at making basic healthcare accessible to vulnerable groups.In December 2010, 25 young African activists from over 15 African countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal for a twoweek institute on climate change and economic empowerment in Africa. The YOWLI 2010 participants gained a better understanding of the economic, socio-cultural and environmental implications of climate change on their lives,especially when linked to core development challenges like food security. During the UNs CSW 2011, the YOWLeesstaged the first ever YOWLI Monologues event on climate change, economic empowerment and gender issues,which was attended by key stakeholders including UN Women Africa Team head Letty Chiwara. There are over 10ongoing post YOWLI projects under the African Women

’s Millennium Initiative

that target various challenges incountries across Africa.