From left, Dr. Kojo Asante, Nadia Adongo-Musa Seth Oteng and Julio De Mederios with AYGC fellows.
Over 120 young women and men from African and Diasporan countries are expected to converge on Accra for the 10th edition of the African Youth and Governance Conference (AYGC).
Initiated and convened by the Youth Bridge Foundation (YBF), the 2018 AYGC will relive a decade old tradition of grooming and mentoring young African leaders at the event dubbed ‘homecoming’.
Speaking at the media launch, Board Member of YBF, Julio De Mederios, said the theme for the conference, “Mobilizing Africa’s Youth to Build a Continent Beyond Aid”, emphasizes the critical need to pool resources of young people to transform the continent and strive towards an ‘Africa beyond aid’.
He said mobilizing the youth population presents a great opportunity to create an effective platform for youth participation in the political economy, building resilience of young people and addressing the root causes of many of the key challenges facing the youth.
“This conference will provide an opportunity for Africa to reshape its destiny which is anchored on its greatest asset- the youth,” he said.
Executive Director of the YBF, Seth Oteng, opined that it had become necessary for African governments to mobilize their youth to generate resources internally and from the Diaspora for the transformation of their countries and the continent.
He further explained that the situation, coupled with the shrink in the global aid architecture, has made the mobilization of the energies and potential of young people for development in Africa and the Diaspora a necessity than an option.
Mr. Oteng observed that the side events like the African Diaspora Youth Summit, which will see over 50 young adults from the Diaspora attending, would create the platform to re-connect and engage their talents to the benefit of the continent and help further the prime purpose for which they are hosted.
Launching the event together, CDD research fellow, Dr. Kojo Asante, and Nadia Adongo-Musa, deputy director for Diaspora affairs at the office of the president, called on all particularly the youth to fully participate in the event scheduled for August 5th – 12th, 2018.
They said such events do not only help empower the youth but also showcase Ghana to the outside world as a place of opportunity for its younger generation at home and outside.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri