African Business Magazine has published a thought piece by AFLI CEO Jackie Chimhanzi in which she argues why Africa needs greater representation by young leaders at the decision-making table. The magazine published it as part of a special report to the 2020 World Economic Forum summit in Davos.
In the piece, which was co-written by the Pakati Project Manager Monique Atouguia, they point out that it is important for young people to occupy key leadership positions, but not just any young people. It is the young people who have the energy, focus, intensity, risk appetite, passion and single-minded drive to deliver well-articulated burning visions. Young leaders need to be at the centre of power, where decisions are being made.
They note that the Africa Youth Charter, adopted in 2006 by African Union member states, is a political and legal framework that was intended to enshrine the rights, duties and freedoms of African youth. Specifically, the Charter seeks to ensure the constructive involvement of youth in the development agenda of Africa and their effective participation in decision-making processes. Unfortunately, implementation has been extremely slow. Too often, the leadership talks about youth but never actually engages them. On a continent that is disproportionately young, the absence of young leaders in decision-making positions is glaring.
The full piece is at Africa Business Magazine in their WEF Special Edition, but you'll have to page through the embedded file to reach page 32. The button below provides an abridged PDF of the WEF edition with the thought piece only to make it easy for you.
You can read the article here.
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