Africa’s future hinges on the extent to which nations deliberately and adequately invest in youth development and empowerment.
Africa can be classified as a very young population. Data from the United Nations Population Division show that in 2010, there were 364 million Africans aged 15-34 years and 209million aged 15-24 years. The latter, account for 20.2% of the total African population.
The African Union Commission says they are committed to promoting youth development and empowerment in Africa. In partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, they commissioned the status of the African Youth. According to Prof. Jean-Pierre Ezin, Commissioner, Human Resource Science and Technology (AUC), the report titled “State of African Youth 2011,” gives critical analysis of the continent’s actions and inform further discourse at all levels- from policies to strategies, to implement programmes related to youth empowerment and development.
The report provides a baseline- an evidence based account of the state of young people in Africa today. it traces the challenges, presents accomplishments by AU member states, partners and young people themselves, and offers a roadmap on the way forward in supporting the youth development agenda.
Starting this week, I will be reviewing and sharing key points published in this report. Don’t miss this series on CP-Africa.com!