Using Africa's wealth to empower young people – Akufo-Addo

General News of Sunday, March 31, 2019

Source: kasapafmonline.com

2019-03-31

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged African leaders to use the enormous wealth the continent has to develop and empower their respective youth populations.

President Akufo-Addo said: "I put a lot of hope in their ability to shape the future of Africa and to make Africa the lion that it was supposed to be."

To this end, the President stressed that Africa must develop a strategy to reap the demographic dividend offered by a young population, adding that "the opportunities offered by the population will not automatically guarantee a future of growth and prosperity. . Demographic dividends do not come automatically. They must be won. "

President Akufo-Addo reported that on Friday, March 29, 2019 when he delivered a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Boston, United States of America, on the theme "Strengthening the power of young people, the future of Africa.

To achieve the demographic dividend, African countries must, he stressed, invest in the empowerment, education and employment of young people.

"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 each year, Africa must pay maximum attention to job creation, he added.

While young people were willing to risk everything to improve their situation, the president stressed that it was essential to increase investment in youth, including promoting quality education that prepares them for a promising future. d & # 39; opportunities.

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 children in Ghana, "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. "

President Akufo-Addo also advocated for the involvement of young people in decisions that concern them, explaining that Africa can not talk about shaping the future without talking about well-being and well-being young people.

"It is important that Africa concretizes these ideas to harness the value of a young population, placing human rights, gender equality, human capital development and the dignity at the center of all our investments. It is only by offering opportunities that open the future to all young people that we will create a better future, "added the president.

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.

"There is an abundance of dynamic and enterprising talent on our continent who strive to express themselves and take advantage of such conditions. We must encourage this expression with all our might and ensure that we can stand up and prevent the systematic looting and looting of our human and material resources, which have characterized much of our modern history, to continue. That is the meaning of Ghana's concept beyond aid, or even that of Africa beyond aid, "added President Akufo-Addo. – Wilberforce Asare