‘Our youths must rise and claim their rights’ – CEO Adetunji Mogroup addresses African Union
The need for youths in Africa to be included in decision making both in politics and society in general, has been stressed.
Politicsl leadership on the African continent has been dominated by old men over the years, with the youth left to scratch the surface.
Speaking at the African Union Youth Assembly- Ademola Adetunji, Founder, Kwara youth empowerment and leadership, and the CEO/GMD MO GROUP LTD, said Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30.
Acording to him, this high percentage of youths presents an opportunity for the growth of Africa as a continent.
Adetunji however lament that lack of empowerment and the right opportunity has been a major setback.
He proffer some solution to the lingering problem by calling on youths to get education and learn a skill.
“We all know that educational systems in Africa already have challenges meeting young peoples’ needs. Despite an eagerness and commitment to learn, most African youths do not have the opportunity to go to school, even students who finish secondary school often find themselves lacking the opportunities and skills needed to attain further education, to overcome gender inequities, and secure one of the few available jobs leading to unemployment and underemployment. Therefore the government must provide an enabling environment and resources to achieve their goals.”
He added that youth must included and participate in politics, and also be allowed to contribute through entrepreneurship by providing employment for them.
“They should be involved in decision making. It is important that youths are recognised as equal partners in decision making but also the youth must show a deep interest in politics.
“Let me take Nigeria as a case study where the youth contribute more to Nigeria’s GDP through SMEs , In Nigeria, SMEs contribute 48% of national GDP, account for 96% of businesses and 84% of employment, these businesses are owned by youths we can imagine the number of jobs that will be created to reduce unemployment in Africa if more youths are into entrepreneurship and are given the opportunity to thrive,” he said.
Full Text Of Speech:
Speech at The African Union Youth Assembly- Ademola Adetunji mogroup
Topic -Youth as drivers of sustainable develipment in Africa
Mr Chairman , Excellencies, Distinguished Members of African Union Youth Assembly, ladies and gentlemen, Good evening .
My name is Ademola Adetunji, Founder Kwara youth empowerment and leadership and the CEO/GMD MO GROUP LTD.
In order to save time I would not want to bore you more with other formalities as we are here for a serious business.
Firstly , let me quickly commend Mr chairman and the entire planning committee and boards of AUYA for a well done initiative of this magnitude, this is evident that tomorrow belongs to the youths.
The youths Potential, is the Key for Africa To Achieve The Sustainable Development Goal in 2030.
Let me take us back to while I was growing up as a child , we were always told that we are the future leaders of tomorrow , this promise has taken a longer time than expected because we were denied the opportunity and right for inclusiveness. But this is the time for us as African youths to rise and claim our rights and take back what belongs to us.
Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. I think this high percentage of youths is an opportunity for the growth of Africa as a continent – however it is only if the youths are fully empowered before we can realise our best potential. It is important that we are included in decision making and given appropriate opportunities .
Also, Involving the youths in politics is vital for economic growth, innovation, peace and security for Africa’s sustainability.
Therefore, the Government and public sector must collectively collaborate to create an enabling environment for African youth to thrive and in return Africa can achieve the sustainable development goal for 2030.
However, In respect to this,I have 4 key points where African youths can contribute to the sustainable development goal for 2030 which are as follows
- Get education and learn a skill.
We all know that educational systems in Africa already have challenges meeting young peoples’ needs. Despite an eagerness and commitment to learn, most African youths do not have the opportunity to go school , even students who finish secondary school often find themselves lacking the opportunities and skills needed to attain further education , to overcome gender inequities, and secure one of the few available jobs leading to unemployment and underemployment. Therefore the government must provide an enabling environment and resources to achieve their goals.
But, the youth must also use what is available at the moment, there is a lot of information and free tools to learn skills on the internet which can provide them with self employment and prepare them for opportunities for inclusiveness in governance and leadership, the IoT is very much available and easily accessible,with the growth of IoT, content creators can deliver and monetize their content on a multitude platform and be more productive.
- Youth must be included and participate in politics
They should be involved in decision making. It is important that youths are recognised as equal partners in decision making but also the youth must show a deep interest in politics.
- Youths can contribute through entrepreneurship by providing employment .-
Let me take Nigeria as a case study where the youth contribute more to Nigeria’s GDP through SMEs , In Nigeria, SMEs contribute 48% of national GDP, account for 96% of businesses and 84% of employment, these businesses are owned by youths we can imagine the number of jobs that will be created to reduce unemployment in Africa if more youths are into entrepreneurship and are given the opportunity to thrive.
- Youth can contribute to the sustainable development of Africa by going into Agriculture and farming- for food security
It is important that youths also see Agriculture and farming as a means of livelihood , everyone can not be employed in an oil company or in a corporate organisation , Currently, around 60% of Africa’s population is younger than 25 years, and more than a third are between 15-34 years old, therefore in the next 70 years, Africa should still have the youngest population worldwide with a median age of 35. What this means is that the population of Africa will increase and we will have more youths than now, in order to have food security which is one of the 2030 sustainable development goals, we must diversify into Agriculture and farming and the Nigerian government is already diversifying but the youths must get fully involved.
Let me tell you a short story, I was born into a poor family and my parents can barely afford the good things in life for us as a child, I struggled to go to school by doing all sorts of jobs and went through difficulties to get to where I am today. I don’t know what is called luck , I worked very hard and prayed to God for directions.
Today I have a group of companies providing job opportunities for the youths , business mentorship and leadership coaching. I have also achieved some levels of comfort in that I can even afford to travel to all parts of the EU State without needing a visa. It took me 17 years to get here with the grace of God, however, I don’t feel fulfilled yet until this kind of opportunity can be replicated and available for the youths and Africans in general.
Therefore, we must not give up , we must be resilient in our pursuit for success.
In Conclusion
“As a youth We should not continue to Ask what our country can do for us, We should always ask what we can do for our country.”
African youth should rise now and fight for their rights, we should get involved in politics,we should use what we have and start where we are ,because our destiny is in our hands.
Finally, I am optimistic and I look forward to a time when young vibrant African youths, female or male between age groups of 30 to 35 years are given opportunities to become Presidents in African countries. African youth must be prepared and ready to take this leadership,
Thank You Mr Chairman
Thank you all.
