African Governments Need to Create Political Space for Engaging Youths: AU Youth Envoy

African Union Special Envoy on Youth, Chido Mpemba, urged African governments to widen political space for participation of the youth.

Speaking to ENA, the special envoy noted that Africa has promising opportunities as most of its population is youth.

Engaging this productive section of society in the political, economic and social spheres on the continent at the expected level could play pivotal role to ensure sustainable development and benefits of the people, she said.

Noting that attempts to seize power by force and conflicts in Africa and attendant problems causing harms on youths and countries, she urged to change this course of political engagement and nurture democracy.

To this effect, engaging youths in political process, building their capacity and putting in place new perspectives to address backward practices are essential, she emphasized.

To realize the Africa we aspire in 2063, African governments are expected to engage and exploit the potentials of the youth in all fields and meet continen
tal aspirations, Mpemba stressed.

The African Youth Charter adopted by the AU’s seventh ordinary summit in Banjul, Gambia in July 2006 stipulates that Africa’s biggest asset is its young population.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency