The
people of West and Central Africa are young – nearly two-thirds haven’t yet
celebrated their 24th birthday.
This
young population gives us great hope. Its energy and commitment is exactly what
we need to build a better future for everyone - but at the same time, it can
cause us much fear.
Fear
of what these young people are going to become or what choices they will make
if they continue to be denied the skills, essential social services and
opportunities they need to make the most of their abilities.
Today,
young people aged 15 to 24 account for 60 percent of Africa’s unemployed and
those who do manage to find work are often employed in the low-paid, often
hazardous informal sector.
So
many have grown up surrounded by poverty, inequality, conflict and instability,
compounded by natural disasters or extreme weather events caused by climate
change.
They
have not received the education they deserve – about one third of adolescent
girls are not in school – and they experience twice the adult unemployment
rate.
This
upbringing has had a profound effect on how they view their lives, leaving many
feeling disillusioned and disenfranchised.
The
failure to meet their needs has made them susceptible to radicalisation – or
has led them to leave our region altogether, taking their talents and
frustrations with them. This is a scenario we cannot afford to let escalate.
Young
people are our future and our biggest asset – but only if we can find a way to
make them stay to help build their countries. For this, we must make the right
investments in their future.
Militant
groups such as Boko Haram’s success in recruiting young Nigerians and others
across the region show us there is no time to lose.
The
group, and others such as MUJAO in Mali, has preyed on disaffection and
vulnerability to draw young men and women from all kinds of backgrounds into
their fold. Promising loans and money,
they have made the most of economic inequalities to tempt them to join.
These
groups also make inroads into communities by offering a different leadership to
local, often absent, ineffective or corrupt government. In short, they identify
all the factors that are frustrating our youngsters and use them to influence
how they think.
But
it is not too late. We can still draw our young people back if we offer the
right choices.
We
need to build their trust in governments so that they believe they are listened
to and help and empower them to contribute to transforming their communities.
If
we fail, they will continue to fall into the hands of radical groups or simply
leave. The exodus of young people towards Europe and further afield shows just
how desperate they have become. An estimated 80,000 of the people smuggled
across the Mediterranean in the past two years have been from sub-Saharan
Africa.
So
we must find solutions. We must address the socio-cultural milieu that
encourages harmful practices and provide girls and women with education so that
they can live full and fulfilling lives and play a meaningful part in the
development of their societies.
We
need to find ways to bring young people and government together to rebuild
trust and facilitate communication. And at a local level, community relations
need to be strengthened so that the young talk to the old, keeping the lines of
communication open, because those communities which have done so have been
successful in protecting their youngsters from radicalisation.
We
at UNFPA see investment in adolescents and youth as critical to our region’s
future. We are working with governments across the Sahel, Manor River, Gulf of
Guinea, Congo Basin and Lake Chad Basin to encourage the development of
initiatives to help young people make the most of their and their families’
lives.
We
are also supporting programmes that are reaching girls to protect them from
harmful practices such as child marriage, early pregnancy, female genital
mutilation and gender-based violence.
Last
year, Burkina Faso launched a National Strategy to end Child Marriage followed
this year by Ghana with its National Campaign to End Child Marriage.
Several
countries have also passed national legislation against female genital
mutilation, including Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and the Islamic Republic of the
Gambia.
The
African Union has also recognised the potential of our youth and has pledged to
put adolescents and youth at the centre of its development agenda.
The
Agenda 2063 which projects the “Africa We Want” by 2063 gives us a strong
vision of our desired direction and a road map on harnessing the demographic
dividend through targeted investments in our young people - to which UNFPA has
contributed - will be considered at the ongoing AU summit in Kigali.
The
demographic dividend will also be high on the agenda at the Heads of State and
Government summits next year.
Source:
UNFPA.
“Young
people are our future and our biggest asset. ”
Mabingue
Ngom
