What is the way forward for an African Youth?

By the end of 2050, over 1/4 of the world's labour force will be Africa and in less than 3 generations, 41% of the world's youth will be African yet youth unemployment increases with education level in Africa as over 1/2 of the world's out-of-school children live in sub-Saharan Africa.

At the just concluded 2012 Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s annual governance forum held in Dakar with the theme African Youth: Fulfilling the potential, it has brought about questions on what African Youth potentials are and how these potentials can be developed in a continent that is faced with unemployment, political instability, low level of education among others. Furthermore, statistics given by the Mo Ibrahim foundation shows that Job readiness is lacking in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt and that sectors that drive GDP growth do not create the most job.

According to Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo in a dialogue with Iman Bermaki (Student, African Leadership Academy) and Mamadou Toure (Founder, African 2.0), "My generation had more opportunities than facilities; your generation has more facilities than it has opportunities" yet most African Youths are liability. He said that African youth should see themselves as asset and develop themselves instead of focusing on the continents problem. Also, James Mwangi of Dalgerb Global Development during the intergenerational dialogue between the youth and Tutu fellows said that, the challenge is on the youth to decide what they want, find the space and strive for excellence. The consensus among the elders was that African youth have to be united to create change and turn what they have to get what they want.

Also, the low quality of education in Africa was pointed out as one of the problems facing youth development. In Ethiopia, Education is not compulsory and the current African Educational levels are lower  than that of China and India. In his opinion, Ibrahim Niang believes that we have to visit our school programmes in Africa as the key problem is not knowing the model of personality we want to build.

In his acceptance speech, recipient  of the Mo Ibrahim Award, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that Young People are dreamers and they should continue to dream as the future of the continent is in their hands.Moreso, Mo Ibrahim urged the African youth to do something. He told them they have the power to force their government to be transparent. In addition, the Prime Minister of Senegal Abdoul Mbaye said that the future of the continent is tantamount to the future of the youth.

Yet from opinions from the youth delegates under Restless Development, the youth of Africa have dreamt of all those dreams but no where for the dreams to come true.  They believe that to make policies on their behalf, Policy makers must seek their opinion but which is not happening in most countries in the continent.

In all of these, One thing was certainly clear, The leaders are aware of the problems, the youth want the change but the wide gap is still there. So, what is the way forward for an African Youth?

Youth education and the future of Africa

"Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting" - Aldous Huxley

The 21^st century has shown that without education, a man is incomplete as Education is the bedrock of every society.  Whether formal or informal education, the society thrives on learning and dissemination of information.  Moreso, Education is widely accepted as a leading instrument for fostering economic growth and development in a globalised world. For Africa, where growth is essential, and if the continent is to climb out of poverty, education is particularly important.

In 2004, it was estimated that 38 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa had never been to school. As a result they have been deprived of experiences integral to full physical, social and emotional development. (http://www.gaps.org.au/activities/36-education/71-education_2state).  According to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation facts and figures on African Youth (2012), Africa is the only continent with a significantly growing youth population. In less than three generations, 41% of the world’s youth will be African. By 2035, Africa’s labour force will be larger than China’s. On the continent, too many African young people are neither employed, nor studying, nor looking for a job. Moreso, the report states that literacy is growing but Africa still lags behind the rest of the world. Current African educational levels are lower than China’s and India’s and Only 2/3 of students progress from primary to secondary education in Africa while the Youth unemployment increases with education level in Africa.

In Nigeria, Nearly 9 million primary school-age children are out of school in Nigeria (Mo Ibrahim facts and figures 2012). The class strength in a typical public primary and secondary institution is over 60 with inadequate infrastructure to meet the needs of the students. In addition, stiffing government policies affect the growth of education. In Benin, Tanzania, Cameroon, and Madagascar, governments supervise many aspects of universities’ operations. In Benin and Tanzania, the government appoints senior university managers. In Cameroon, the Minister of Education retains supervisory authority over universities. The Ministry of Education in Madagascar appoints all faculty members, sets salaries, and determines working conditions, which results in close links between faculty members and the political system.

Furthermore, the poor quality of education in most African country is generating poverty and inequality and undermining the opportunity we have to build as a continent. There is a wide gap between the rich who can afford quality education at a high cost to the poor children who have to struggle to attend and gain from the public educational institutions that are of questionable standard.  Education in most developing African nations still falls short of standard quality compared to that of developed nations. Tertiary educations in most African nations are for those who can afford them. Eventually if the student is able to graduate, he is faced with the problem of getting a job in an already congested labour market. Recently in Nigeria, over 200,000 youth completed the mandatory Nation Youth Service and are thrown into the labour market where there certificate holds no value.

To improve education in Africa, I believe that policy makers should embark on educational paradigm shift that will equip the youth with entrepreneurial skills and critical thinking to be self-reliant. More so, Education policies that will favour the general mass should be created and implemented, and ensure that every child/youth has opportunity to get a formal education. Needed and suitable Infrastructures should be put in place and made available to students.

As various African leaders, intellectuals and youth gather at the 2012 Mo Ibrahim Forum in Dakar to discuss on African Youth- Fulfilling the potential, I hope that our policy makers will take decisions that will be of great benefit to the youth and Africa as a continent.

In Conclusion, “The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live”.  ~Flora Whittemore

Our Hopes for the Mo Ibrahim forum by Isa Mwaipopo

With only 5 days now  left before the long awaited Mo Ibrahim Discussion Forum kicks off in the city of darker, Senegal. Hopes and Expectations from the camp of youth delegates and communicators are high, though coming from different regions and walks of life, the theme under discussion is one that touches and  affects almost every African youth, after days and weeks of preparation and anticipation, we can’t wait for the golden opportunity to grab the microphone and engage with our policy makers and government representatives.

The Ibrahim Forum is an annual high level discussion forum facilitated by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Participants are drawn from around the African continent to discuss and debate the African agenda as articulated by the Foundation in collaboration with key members of African civil society. Among other things, the foundation seeks to promote include good governance practices and exceptional leadership in Africa. This year’s Forum focuses on an interesting theme, “YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN AFRICA". This rings a line on my mind on what is stipulated in the Zambian National Youth Policy which states and I quote “The best empowerment that can be given to the youth is education and training”.

Notable among the prominent people to grace the forum this year include the worlds celebrated Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, an inspiration for our generation. It is at this forum that he will get to officially receive the award that was recently bestowed on him by the foundation following his remarkable courage to speak to powers and authority. Out of the 400 estimated number of delegates to gather in Darker, 20 will be young people from around the African continent, thanks to Restless Development for lobbying to add the Youth factor, this goes a long way in securing our voice and ensuring that our concerns are heard.

As we gather in Dakar, we hope to learn more from every delegate that is part of this forum, we hope that through their experience and reflections we will make mile stones in addressing the issues of unemployment and education on our continent. After almost 50 years of gaining independence by most of our countries, we still remain greatly marginalized as young people from taking an active role in the running of affairs in our countries.

Though small in number at the forum, we still hope that our concerns will be heard, we hope that through this forum we will speak on behalf of the millions and millions of our brothers and sisters we have left behind in various communities whose voice is not otherwise recognized.

I think of our friends in Malawi whose eyes are filled with hopelessness at the thought of what the future holds for them looking at the prevailing economic hardships, brothers and sisters from Zimbabwe whose democratic and constitutional rights to participation in the affairs of their country still seems a farfetched dream, and  not forgetting, my own country of origin Zambia, were we still have young boys and girls who seat on logs in classrooms, university students who seat on the floor, all in the quest to get some education. These thoughts flash before me as I attend this forum, I hope that lasting solutions and recommendations would be reached to help in addressing some of these persisting challenges that have afflicted our countries for far too long.