Paheja Siririka 

Pricilla Mukokobi

With more than 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 35, the youth holds immense potential to shape the continent’s future. 

These sentiments were echoed by African youth leaders on Monday during the celebration of the International Youth Day in Burkina Faso.

The annual commemoration, organised by the National Youth Council of Burkina Faso, Pan-African Youth Union and the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Employment, was celebrated under the theme ‘Integration, security, peace and development: The role of African youth’.

The two-day event provided a unique platform that brought together young entrepreneurs, emerging leaders, policymakers as well as development partners to discuss challenges, opportunities and best-practices in entrepreneurship and leadership in Africa.

Namibia’s National Youth Council chairperson Sharonice Busch engaged Burkina Faso’s president Ibrahim Traoré.

“African youths face a lot of challenges, including high unemployment, which leads to missed economic opportunities,” she stated.

She said despite the challenges, entrepreneurship and leadership are emerging as essential levers for transforming Africa’s socio-economic realities. 

In addition, more and more young Africans are embarking on entrepreneurship, creating innovative businesses, thus contributing to job-creation and economic growth.

Meanwhile, the Namibia Media Trust (NMT) also celebrated the day by hosting its annual conference, #YouthQuakeNam24. 

This year’s event focused on the 2024 General Elections, and the vital role of youth engagement under the theme ‘Next Generation Democracy: Inspiring Youth to Lead and Innovate’.

The #YouthQuakeNam24 conference gathered approximately 60 young Namibians alongside policymakers and civil society representatives to delve into discussions and strategies concerning youth involvement in shaping the nation’s future. The event aimed to foster leadership, advocacy and innovative approaches to civic participation among Namibia’s younger generation.

Jessica Uiras, the programme coordinator at NMT and 2024 YouthQuake project lead said, young people are unde-represented in political leadership. 

She argued that the youth make up a significant portion of Namibia’s population, yet their representation in the National Assembly is limited. “By allowing youth to elect their representatives, they ensure that their interests, concerns and aspirations are directly reflected in national policies and decisions. Therefore, they call for mandatory youth consultations in the development of national policies, ensuring their needs and ideas are reflected in the decisions that shape their future,” she remarked. 

She added: “Invest in youth creativity and innovation for community and national development. The creativity and innovation of our youth are unmatched. We have the ideas, energy and passion to tackle the challenges facing our communities, and to drive the progress of our nation. But to turn the vision into reality, we need your support”. 

She disclosed that lawmakers must support young candidates by creating programmes and initiatives that support and mentor young candidates, providing them with the resources and knowledge they need to run successful campaigns. 

“With the right support, young leaders can effectively compete in elections, bringing new voices and ideas into our government,” she said. -psiririka@nepc.com.na