Africans across the world celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May. The day is a precursor to the African Union (AU), the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) which came into being in 1963. The creation of these two institutions symbolically signified the unity of all African people. Africa Day presents an opportunity to celebrate African diversity and success whilst at the same time highlighting the cultural and economic potential that exists on the continent as we strive to resolve the outstanding conflicts and achieve peace.
This year, the Covid-19 global pandemic has dampen the customary celebrations. Africa’s developmental agenda will now have to be proactively and urgently re-engineered to align with the unfolding new normal as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 terrain is an ideal opportunity to recommit on creating a continent characterised by peace, stability, unity, integration, solidarity, participatory democracy, economic prosperity and social justice. Africa should take her rightful place as she develops and nurtures her people’s potential so as they enjoy high standards of living that is free from poverty, disease and unemployment. The paradigm shift in the usage of natural resources to be more sustainable is paramount as many countries were swept by the wave of democracy and liberation.
The decolonisation of Africa from the chains of imperialist agenda of various western countries equally ushered governance crisis which led to mushrooming of weak institutions and governance structures which failed to fulfil citizens’ basic needs. Despite notable progress, too many citizens still face insufficient security, poor healthcare, inadequate education infrastructure, unemployment, questionable elections, biased judiciary systems and the suppression of freedom of speech and curtailed participation by civil society. Young people across the continent are central in creating the necessary structural change. By 2050, one out of three young people in the world will be living in sub-Saharan Africa. Given the high youth unemployment rate, the group with the most at stake, young African leaders deserve to be part of the policy discussions that seek to find solutions to the challenge of employment and not 75 year olds determining policy for young people.
The significant gap between those deciding policy and those who have to weather its effects is a travesty, to say the least. At the parliamentary level, only 14 percent of members are under 40. African parliamentary compositions reflect the global trend, wherein only 14.2 percent of the world’s members of parliament are under 40. With African countries on track to account for half of the world’s population growth and an exponential increase in the number of young people, the number of young parliamentarians should be higher. Furthermore, the youth need to take more places in presidencies, councils of ministers, parliaments, national committees, corporate boardrooms, and civil society organizational teams. When young leaders reach positions of influence, they should focus on building strong institutions for accountability and educate people about the importance of broad accountability for a successful continent.
Countries with higher levels of accountability collectively by far outperforms those with lower levels. Young leaders can advance civil society growth, poverty reduction, economic expansion, and innovation throughout the continent by strengthening the participation of women and youth, promoting human rights, facilitating access to justice, and ensuring inclusion of all communities.
Equally to fully grasp the impact of youth on the economy and governance in Africa, more formal mechanisms of monitoring and evaluation should be devised to track and enhance youth engagement at all societal levels. Implementing reliable systems of assessment will also lead to more effective youth participation, representation, and policy,influence if decisionmakers adopt corrective policies such as capacity building, quotas for elected positions, cabinet ministries, and boards of state-owned enterprises, among others. This assessment process should simultaneously identify opportunities to improve policymaking structures to respond to the time-sensitive needs of all African people. Effective and accountable leadership at all levels of society is the key to unlocking the potential of African youth to create economic, political, and social policies for their bright futures. Corruption remains the enemy , young leaders must avoid being trapped by the web of corruption.
Countries must be proactive by curbing corruption in order to build a long-standing tradition of government openness, freedom of the press, transparency and access to information. Across the world, leadership thinking has shifted from the erroneous belief that experience, age, and maturity were the dynamics that led to modern and innovative system, most countries of the world are diverting significant resources towards securing the future of their countries, for responsible by preparing younger generations for responsible and productive leadership in politics, Business, Technology and other areas for sustaining Democracy.
Now it’s time for AFRICAN Youth To rising
Tlamelo Motlatsi is the Provincial Chairperson of SASCO in the Northern Cape. He writes in his personal capacity.