Scores of Young African Leaders converged in Ghana's capital, Accra, to participate in a three-day summit held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from the 25th to the 27th of November 2021. The summit organized by Young Global Leaders Network (YGLN) brought together young and passionate Africans from the continent, held under the theme, African Youth Transforming Visions and Ideas into Action.
Governments across Africa have been tasked to place young people at the very heart of politics, governance and decision-making, as young people are becoming increasingly involved in politics for youth inclusion in the government is perceived as a catalyst of change. During the summit, some areas of interest discussed included the impact of climate change in Africa, engaging the youth in the policy-making process, and factors influencing Agripreneurship, among others.
Speaking at the event, our co-founder Foday David Kamara, Her Excellency Mrs Francess Virgina Anderson, Sierra Leone High Commissioner to Ghana; H.E. Harriet Clare Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana; Mr Mustapha Ussif, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Republic of Ghana; Hon. Dr Kirsty Leigh Coventry, Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Republic of Zimbabwe and Other Keynote and Guest speakers included Hon. Yar Telar Ring Deng, Member of Parliament, Yirel West Constituency, Republic of South Sudan; Senator Millicent Omanga of Kenya, Gloria Boye-Doku, Partner at Deloitte, and many others.
On the last day of the summit, delegates paid a courtesy call on former President of Ghana, President John Agyekum Kufuor, at his residence, where he engaged and advised the youth to be missionaries of change and focus on humanity and advised the delegation to be united and work together to realize the Africa we seek and encouraged them to master the art of negotiation.
The Young African Leaders Summit collated ideas from some of the continent's most exemplary youth figures and aggregated them into relevant themes able to shape policy on the continent. Delegates benefited from a broader exposure to issues spanning multiple areas, including political, social, economic, cultural, and business.