With the highest percentage of her population made up of youth, Africa is a bed of opportunities for growth and prosperity. The African youth are a symbol of resilience, potential, creativity and determination in a changing and challenging world.

The youth represent hope and vibrancy across the continent geared towards social change, economic growth, and sustainable development. Amidst the challenges and inequalities, the youths in Africa remain determined and fit to compete with other youth globally to make Africa and the world a better place. This calls for celebration of our youths.
The participation by the youth towards having a better Africa cut
across various sectors.

During one of the Young African Leaders Initiative summit Ida from Gambia, while referring to the youth said, “One of the things that we are really learning to do here is to say; no, we must be heard. We are the future. So, in a nutshell, that’s who I am. I am the future.
The African future.”

These words clearly represent the aspirations and the driving force amongst many African youths informing the actions they have taken in the recent past in the fight for good governance. The youth have played and continue to play pivotal roles on matters of governance in their respective countries throughout the continent both directly in governance matters and in decision-making processes.

The youth also put the governments under check by calling out and demonstrating against corrupt leaders and advocating for change. Equipped with essential skills on democratic and electoral governance, the youth in Africa are at the forefront in the defense of democracy
all over Africa.

The stability and development of the African states depends on how they treat their youth.  Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Si in paragraph 13 says, “Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.”

Youth all over the world and particularly in Africa have taken this challenge to fight against climate crisis in great ways. Youth across the continent have come up with various innovative ways towards adaptation, reliance and curbing the effects of climate change. These are being achieved through establishment of a number of grass root organizations that educate the masses on the need to care for Mother Nature and some providing alternative ways for just transition.

Some youth groups try to achieve this through ecological conversion. For instance, the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa, a Catholic youth group spread in various countries in Africa live by a slogan of ‘no use of single use plastics’ by its members. Though simple, this revolution against use of single use plastics is positively contributing towards reduction in plastic pollution rate on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Steeven Kazemutima, widely known as Baba Miti loosely translated as Father of Trees, of Laudato Si Movement Africa runs a campaign, “Birthday Tree Planting” which urges the youth and everyone to plant and nurture trees during their birthdays and other important days
in their lives.

This campaign has resulted in an increase in the youth abandoning cake-cutting during their birthdays and instead resorting to planting trees. These initiatives by the youth and many more in different parts of Africa need to be celebrated, supported and highlighted as case studies for climate crisis mitigation activities.

During the Africa Climate Week, the African youths presented their declaration to the African Union and the Heads of State and Government calling for governments to recognise the place of the youth in their decision-making processes and to support their initiatives. Such courageous acts by the youth should not go unnoticed.

Africa suffers deeply from lack of job opportunities for her people and as a great number of youths in Africa are graduating in various fields from universities and other learning institutions, they grapple with the question of what next? The only answer to this question for the youth is to be innovative and creative in creating jobs for themselves.

The youth have integrated entrepreneurship and innovation to achieve self-reliance. KadAfrica, an organization founded by Evelyn Namara from Uganda, trains youth in the cultivation of passion fruit, processing and also creating markets for the end products. This initiative founded by an African youth creates employment to fellow young people in Uganda who are affected by unemployment.

Another innovation worth celebrating by an African youth is the Twim Academy in Nigeria founded by Oluwatobi Oyinlola that trains young people on coding and digital skills. Graduates from this noble initiative secure jobs in the digital economy while others start their own tech consultancies and employ other qualified youth in their organizations. Such innovative and creative projects by the youth are found in various urban and rural settlements in Africa. (Open Photo: 123rf)

Stephen Otieno Makagutu