President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged leaders in Africa to use the enormous wealth the continent is endowed with to develop and empower the youth in their respective countries.
Delivering a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University, Boston, United States of America, on the theme “Empowering the Youth, Africa’s Golden Future, the President said African countries must also invest in the empowerment, education and employment of young people.
“No one needs to tell us that mass unemployment in Africa, especially amongst her youth, is a ticking time bomb. The so-called Arab Spring showed clearly that lack of employment opportunities can undermine social cohesion and political stability. With between 10 to 12 million youths joining the labour market every year, Africa has to pay maximum attention to job creation,” he said.
Describing the 21st century as the century of science and technology, the President said the mastery of digital technology by African youth must be the compelling challenge for them if, indeed, they are to survive in this competitive, technological environment.
Additionally, with several economies on the continent dependent on the production and export of raw materials, President Akufo-Addo said there is no way these economies can produce wealth and prosperity for their citizens, especially their youth if they fail to manage their own resources effectively.
“It is time we were responsible for processing our own resources. It is time that we, in Africa, manage our resources well, to generate wealth for our populations.”
President Akufo-Addo also advocated for the involvement of young people in decisions that affect them, explaining that Africa cannot talk about shaping the future without talking about the welfare and wellbeing of young people.
“It is important that Africa takes these ideas forward to harness the value of a youthful population, holding human rights, gender equality, development of human capital, and dignity at the centre of all our investments. Only by providing opportunities that open the future to all young people do we create a brighter future.
“There is an abundance of dynamic, entrepreneurial talent on our continent struggling to express itself and take advantage of such conditions. We have to encourage this expression with full force, and ensure that we can stand on our own feet, and make it impossible for the systematic looting and plundering of our human and material resources, that have characterized much of our modern history, to continue. This is the significance of the concept of Ghana Beyond Aid, indeed, of Africa Beyond Aid,” President Akufo-Addo added.
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By: citinewsroom.com/Ghana