African Regional Youth Congress Highlights

A report of the 2006 Second African Regional Youth Congress on Science and Technology: Food Security and Health for Sustainable Development in Africa held at La Palm Beach Resort, Accra, Ghana from June 26 to 28, 2006.

In 1998, UN Secretary General Koffi Annan in addressing Ministers responsible for youth made this statement as he cautioned nations and the international community not to marginalize the youth. By 2002, youths began to take action so that they could be heard. They said, "We are children whose voices are not heard. It is time we are taken into account".

In 2004, CTA provided the youth from Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific regions with the opportunity to speak out. The Centre, accepting that youths are the best experts when it comes to understanding and articulating the issues affecting them, hosted an expert consultation for youths from several ACP countries. The Observatory provided the ACP youth with a forum to discuss the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in linking rural youth with the rapidly changing realities of modern life. The youth then presented their recommendations to ACP-EU ambassadors and policy makers at a specially arranged meeting in Brussels. There, the ACP youth eloquently stated that they have limited options to actively seek and share information and to communicate with others because of the isolation and material poverty of their communities. They encouraged the ambassadors to help them secure an enabling environment to advance their interaction in the wider society.

The success of the 2004 CTA Youth Observatory set the stage for this 2005 collaboration between the CTA and the African Technology Policies Studies Network for an African-wide Regional Youth Congress on "Youth Employment/Wealth Creation: Opportunities in Agriculture, Science and Technology and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention". The future of agricultural and rural development in ACP countries lies in the hands of the youth who the societies marginalize. What better mechanism than to give the youth the chance to elaborate the issues that are preventing them from realizing their potential and overcoming the constraints in agriculture, using science, technology and innovation as the launch pad? CTA was not disappointed with the Congress as the youth clearly demonstrated why there is need to have confidence in them. They have called on international organizations to empower them; for governments to implement policies to facilitate greater application of science, technology and innovation for socio-economic development of Africa; for institutions of higher learning to play a major role and for the media to focus on the plight of youth in Africa and ST&I for turning around the situation of Africa's youth.

Africa Regional Youth Congress and Exposition "Youth and Employment/Wealth Creation: Opportunities in Agriculture Science and Technology" and Youth Leadership for HIV/AIDS Prevention, was held on 20-24 June 2005. Related information