Youth from over 40 African countries are today meeting in Kigali to discuss their contribution to the development of their countries.The Africa Youth Summit which is being held under the theme; “Self-reliance for Africa” will also be used as a platform to share knowledge in line with entrepreneurship, good governance, creativity and innovation.Richmond Nuefville, the acting secretary general of All Africa Students Union (ASSU), said the continent has the highest youthful population with over ten million youth graduating annually leading to high unemployment.Nuefville said there is need to understand the concept of youth empowerment and employment which he was optimistic that the summit would address.“Youth employment is a short term economic investment that has to do with temporary jobs for young people but in this summit, we are trying to look at the aspect of youth empowerment in the areas of education, human development index and capacity building and then draw an analogy on how youth can be involved in developmental activities and how they can be self-reliant so that the economic viability of our continent can be realised,” Nuefville said. He was speaking at a news briefing in Kigali on Tuesday.Nuefville added that youth engagement in policy and decision making should be considered while implementing national projects.The president of Forum des Associations Générales des Étudiants du Rwanda (FAGER), Daniel Komezusenge, said hosting the summit was an opportunity for the Rwandan youth to learn from other countries.Komezusenge added that Rwandan youth are already engaged in self-reliance projects such as students on the field where they build houses for the needy. He challenged the youth to learn to give back to the community.“The future of Africa is in our hands as youth and we have to strive hard to shape it. I believe that if the youth are empowered, they can contribute to good governance,” he remarked.Hawa Deme-Sarr, the iHope Week head coordinator, from Mali, said African youth need to learn from Rwanda’s experience and the strides it has made in youth and women empowerment.“Rwanda is a good example, an indicator to the youth that everything is possible. All we need to do is work hard, be creative and innovative,” she said.Youth are estimated to be 38.8 per cent of the working population and 50.8 per cent of the total population in Africa.They are also the most active segment of the population and, thus, the major determinants of economic development and prosperity. The two-day Africa Youth Summit presents a unique opportunity to fully engage African youth in developmental issues and will include panel discussions followed by interactive sessions as well as inspiration time with various speakers.
