African youth are at the forefront of political and governance changes on the continent, experts at the International Conference on Youth and Democratisation which kicked off in Addis Ababa on Monday said.In a statement issued after the opening session, Carlos Lopes, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) stated that it is essential to promote youth participation in political processes and decision-making."We must provide the youth with quality education that equips them with the skills to function in a modern economy,” he said who is also an Under Secretary General of the United Nations."In the same vein, we also have to give our youth a clear and uplifting vision of Africa; our youth have to be able to relate to our aspirations for African unity and economic integration. They also need proper engagement in order to appreciate Africa’s potential and what their own contribution can be,” Lopes added.Vidar Helgesen, the Secretary General of the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) noted that youth participation and representation needs to be at the level of government and at the level of international organization."But key responsibilities rest with young people - to get organized, to achieve the skills, to face up to the adversity and the frustrations that will eventually come when moving from protest to participation - to really not give up the ultimate promise of youth participation in democratic processes because they can be a powerful force for changing governance,” he said.Redwan Hussien, Public Mobilisation and Participation Advisor to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister referred to the Sierra Leone and South African Soweto uprisings to illustrate how active the African youth were in upholding the principles of democracy and good governance in their countries."I firmly believe that this conference will afford us an opportunity to reflect on the ways in which we can provide a balanced and equitable environment for our youth so they could deliver their best for the development of our societies,” said Redwan.Speakers at the opening session all praised the AU for enacting the African Youth Charter and for agreeing to accelerate implementation of the PPan of Action for the Decade of Youth.The International Conference on Youth running under the theme: "Youth and Democratisation in Africa: Lessons Learned and Comparative Experiences is a joint initiative of the ECA, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.According to organisers, the outcomes of the conference include increased knowledge on the role of youth in democratisation process, better policy options on mainstreaming youth in institutional, political, democratisation and governance processes in African countries and enhanced policy discourse on youth economic empowerment in Africa, among others.