{{This past week Rwanda played host to the Pan-African Youth Forum, an event that brought together youth and expert panelists from eighteen African countries including Nigeria, Togo, Tanzania, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Kenya, among others.}}
The forum was held in Kigali on July 2nd & 3rd and was organized by the Umurinzi Reflection Centre, a group of young Rwandan professionals in collaboration with the LeO Africa Forum, which was launched on the evening of July 2nd with strong support from the Government of Rwanda.
High level attendees included H.E. Paul Kagame, H.E. Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Hon. Jean Philippe Nsengimana, the Rwandan Minister of Youth and ICT, and Hon. Anatole Makosso Minister of Youth and Civil Education from the Republic of Congo.
Under the theme, “Beyond Liberation Movements: Shaping Our Future”, the event addressed issues concerning the youth of Africa, which, according to Minister Nsengimana, make up 78% of the population on the African continent.
Participants discussed their perspective on the current state of the continent and role they can play in building the Africa they want.
Many of the speakers on the panels over the two days maintained the connection between liberation movements and the future of Africa’s youth, recognizing that many of Africa’s liberation movements—including the liberation of Rwanda in 1994 by the RPF—were led by young men and women who have since gone on to be leaders in their respective countries.
H.E President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda graced the conference on the second day and discussed emerging economic opportunities on the continent.
He urged participants to move beyond simple subsistence agriculture to seek out opportunities in infrastructure, manufacturing and business to build their economies.
Olfa Riahi, a Tunisian blogger who broke the first big story on the corruption of the first Tunisian democratically elected government post the Arab spring, argued that real democracy will be attained by brave young people who are not afraid to fight for liberation and to contribute to creating strong systems and institutions within their respective countries, especially young women.
During the panel discussions, it was pointed out that African youth are talented and must focus on creating a positive impact in whatever they do.
In his opening remarks, Minister Nsengimana assured the African youth that they had many opportunities on this continent as well as the support of their leaders.
According to H.E Paul Kagame who participated in an interactive session with the youth on July 2nd, “The founders of our countries struggled to free us from colonial rule, restoring a measure of sovereignty and national pride but along the way mistakes have been made and we still find ourselves far from realizing our potential.
Therefore, the process of liberation has to continue and you, the youth of our continent have a crucial role to play. Many of you are already in leadership positions.
We are counting on you to consolidate the gains made, and build on them to propel Africa’s future…you have the capacity and ability to transform our continent.”
Umurinzi Reflection Centre and the LeO Africa Forum, are committed to hosting the Pan African Youth Forum again. At the conclusion of the Conference, H.E. President Museveni agreed to host the next forum in Kampala, Uganda and welcomed all participants to his country.
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