Our youth can make Africa the lion that she was supposed to be – Nana Addo

General News of Saturday, March 30, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-03-30

President Nana Akufo-Addo urged African leaders to channel the continent's wealth into the development of youth in their countries.

In his speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, President Akufo-Addo said, "I place great hope in their ability to shape Africa's future and make Africa a reality. the lion that he was supposed to be. "

He added that Africa needed to develop a strategy to take advantage of the demographic dividends of its young population.

"Population opportunities will not automatically guarantee a future of growth and prosperity. Demographic dividends do not come automatically. They must be won. "

"No one needs to tell us that mbad unemployment in Africa, especially among young people, is a ticking time bomb. The so-called Arab Spring has clearly shown that the lack of employment opportunities can undermine social cohesion and political stability. With 10 to 12 million young people entering the labor market every year, Africa needs to pay maximum attention to job creation. "

The President explained how Free High High School's policy could contribute to this effort.

That is why the policy of free high school, introduced by my government two years ago and greatly expanding the access of Ghanaian youth to secondary education, opens more and more opportunities for the young female population from Ghana. The legislation is redefining basic education to include kindergarten to the end of high school and make it mandatory for all Ghanaian children, "he said.

Describing the 21st century as the century of science and technology, the president said that mastering digital technologies by young Africans should be a major challenge for young Africans who want to survive in this technological environment. competitive.

In addition, as several of the continent's economies depend on production and export of raw materials, President Akufo-Addo noted that it was impossible for these economies to produce wealth and prosperity for their economies. peoples, especially their young people, explaining that "the time has come. were responsible for processing our own resources. It is time for us in Africa to manage our resources well to generate wealth for our people. "

In addition, President Akufo-Addo called for youth participation in decisions that affect them.

He said Africa could not talk about shaping the future without talking about the well-being and well-being of young people.

While stressing that Africa does not have a DNA that condemns it to failure, the Africans, added the President, can, like all other peoples who have succeeded, give meaning to life and make it dignified to live for their own people.