The curtain has finally fallen on what must have been a definitely an exciting three-day YouthConnekt Africa summit. Imagine bringing together about 10,000 young people from 91 countries under one roof and the logistics it must have taken. The organisers pulled it off brilliantly that at the end of it all, the youth minister was surprised that she did not receive any complaints this time! Something that started as a small national event in Kigali in 2012 has now gone continental and gained equal fame with the Transform Africa Summit. Over 12 African countries have adopted the concept in their own countries and more are joining. One thing is for sure; to foreigners who come to Rwanda for the very first time, it is very infectious; they are bitten by a bug to want to come back and get an extra doze. The secret behind all that? It is the enthusiasm of our youth. Rwanda’s youth are a very lucky generation who are growing up under an administration that involves them in every step it takes. A government that has opened many doors in their favour without any discrimination. The pre-1990s generations were not so lucky having grown under a cloud of ethnic regional and gender-based discrimination. But some of them vowed, that once in control of their own destiny, their children would grow up in better conditions, one that will assure them a prosperous future. The enthusiasm one encounters among the youth is not by default but by design; a well-crafted roadmap to the future. That is why there is a confident spring in every step they take, a condition they would like to share with their foreign guests.
