By Juliet Akoth
Nairobi, Kenya: The 7th Annual YouLead Summit, Africa’s largest youth leadership forum took place in Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi from 20th-24th November 2023. This is the first time that the event was held outside Arusha, Tanzania. The theme of the Summit was Youth Empowerment through Capacity Building: Revitalizing Youth Voice and Agency towards, The Africa We Want.
It was convened by various partners including the East Africa Community (EAC), MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (MSTCDC), Danida Fellowship Centre (DFC), the Platform, and other stakeholders. The YouLead program started in 2017 as an initiative involving young people from the EAC member states but due to popular demand from across the continent the program has grown beyond EAC.
Speaking during the summit, former President of Tanzania and Patron of YouLead, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete noted the strides it has made to reach out to youths outside the EAC member states. “The growth of this youth community is a testament to the fact that the YouLead summit program has grown and become a platform that the youth of this great continent feel proud to be associated with.”
Having taken up the leadership mantle in 2020, Jakaya explained that the program has been working to unlock the leadership potential of young people of the continent in order to create a prosperous future for themselves and the continent, by identifying, recognizing, connecting, and fostering operations of young leaders of EAC.
In line with this, YouLead also has a fellowship called the EAC fellowship with the first cohort of 28 fellows from different EAC member countries having successfully completed the fellowship. “These youths are now looking forward to meaningful discussions and deliberations on their roles in driving EAC vision 2050 and Africa we want 2063 Agenda, “stressed Kikwete.
Furthermore, hundreds of youths present were urged to actively take part in governance and political processes, and it was noted that political participation is a systemic issue, especially for young women. “The mindset, perception, and social norms in the society need to be transformed to ensure young women’s inclusion in political processes, especially in political parties. In my view, the focus should be on young women in marginalized settings, learning institutions, financing for affirmative action, and institutionalized representation, “said Stella Nderitu of Emerging Leaders Foundation.
Representing the President and the Kenyan government, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts Ababu Namwamba underscored the importance of youths championing the right causes like climate change adaptation and leadership. “Indeed, The United Nations and the World Bank Statistics show that Africa has the youngest population in the world with 70% of Sub Saharan being under the age of 30. We should capitalize on the potential of the youth of the region to achieve a greater EAC vision by 2050 and the Africa we want 2063 aspirations, “he reiterated.
Moreover, he disclosed that the standing Geopolitical and social-economic construction of the EAC with the coming on board of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2022 and the potential journey of the Federal Republic of Somalia brings with it the need to unlock strategic incentives for diplomatic and inter-state relations.
Participants were encouraged not to be deterred by age or experience, with the CS expressing the Kenyan government’s commitment to supporting youth priorities and reinforcing a spirit of solidarity. Citing that even the first independence generation of Africa was exceedingly youthful.
In tandem with the YouLead Summit, Kenya has hosted various youth events this month with this week being the Kenya Innovation Week, Commonwealth edition, which started on the 27th of November and is set to end on the 1st of December to showcase some of the innovations from young people from around the 56 Commonwealth member state countries.
Kenya is also set to host the 6th edition of the Youth Connekt Africa Summit here in Nairobi from 8th -12th December. The theme is “Youth Innovating a Borderless African Renaissance, which aims to spotlight Youth leadership and innovation for Africa’s integration through policy discussions, storytelling and networking, and entrepreneur-focused programs including marketplace and investor meetings.
The summit will brought together over 20,000 young people, government officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders from across the African Continent, to discuss issues related to youth development and identify solutions that can be implemented to improve the lives of young people in the Horn of Africa.
