Leaders agree to tap youth in developing Africa

KIGALI, RWANDA: African leaders have agreed to involve more youth in governance and business in order to grow their economies.

However, the leaders said skills and ideas, other than age alone, will be more critical in picking out youth.

The leaders, who included Deputy President William Ruto, were speaking in Kigali, Rwanda during a two-day meeting of the African Development Bank.

Others were Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda's Paul Kagame, Gabon's Ali Bongo and Mauritania's Mohamed Abdelaziz. A host of former presidents and other dignitaries across the world attended the forum.

The leaders agreed that although most African countries realised growth of more than five percent, the continent lacked proper infrastructure, electricity and technology.

"Good infrastructure, proper security and cheap electricity are key for growth in our countries," the deputy president observed.

Mr Ruto said Kenya was already providing opportunities to the youth in addition to allowing them access funds for business and doing business with government.

The Deputy President said access to credit by small and medium size businesses and youth was critical for growth.

He said the Government was focusing on training young Kenyans more on areas that were relevant in the industry.

"To mainstream the majority who are young people, we are re-engineering education to enrich their skills that are relevant in sectors we feel can help our country grow."

Mr Ruto also said commercial farming was critical to help resolve the food crisis in Africa.

President Museveni said development of infrastructure and production of sufficient and more affordable electricity would stimulate industrialisation and create more jobs for the youth.

"Now that most countries in this region have discovered oil and gas, it is important that we revamp our infrastructure quickly," the Ugandan leader added.

President Yoweri Museveni observed that the growth being experienced in Africa was in sectors that do not create jobs hence the need for countries to refocus their attention.

"This is a continent of miracles. Growth is high but on sectors that don't create jobs. We've growth without infrastructure and electricity. We have to think how to create jobs."

He said although the youth will be incorporated in development, they must be skilled people with ideas not just age. "We have some youthful leaders with very old ideas that cannot help Africa."

President Bongo said value addition to African products creates real wealth because it makes the prices better.

President Kagame said African countries must work together to stop instability in the continent. 

"Instability affects all of us so we should have a mechanism to resolve conflict and have internal systems to prevent conflict."

He said the continent had good policies which require sound implementation and the involvement of the private sector.

The Rwandan president said Africa cannot realise development if countries did not work together.

Mr Ruto said the East African region was streamlining custom procedures to ease movement of people and goods and this was a clear example of working together and making it easier for investors.