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 Le projet |
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The multitude of crises that beset Africa in the last three decades of the 20th century and which might continue to compromise the future of the continent was largely two fold and inter-related. In the first place, it was a crisis in the value system(s) that inform our institutions; and secondly, it was a crisis of leadership. If Africans are to reclaim and realize their enormous potential, it is important that young leaders acquire the skills, training, networking, and a continent-wide awareness of the challenges that face the continent.
African countries are confronted by countless obstacles to development. Governments and civil society organizations toil to combat poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and underemployment, conflicts and displacement, and the HIV/AIDS crisis. The socio-economic problems faced by African nations have deeply rooted historical antecedents.
Disturbingly, African youth are largely excluded from the policy debates and the identification of solutions to these key challenges. Nevertheless, it is young Africans who bear the burdens of Africa’s underdevelopment, widespread poverty, and health-related crises. Yet, despite their constituting a majority demographic in many African nations, they have few opportunities to contribute to dialogue on development alternatives. Due to the acute nature of the crises ravaging the continent, development programs are often devised with short-sighted projections and goals in an effort to mitigate immediate suffering. FAI believes that young Africans must be part of the development debate. As the continent’s future politicians, professionals and community leaders, African youth must be incorporated into such integrated development planning.
If, as FAI believes, youth are among Africa’s most precious resources, they must be equipped with the skills and opportunities necessary to contribute to national policy dialogue. African youth must be afforded space to stimulate socio-economic and political development so as to enhance not only their own quality of life, but that of all Africans and of future generations
While Friends of Africa International is not the first international organization to organize a leadership forum for young Africans, FAI's forum will build upon these existing initiatives and provide a unique contribution to the current movement towards Pan Africanism and youth empowerment focusing on renewing the vision for democracy in Africa. This is because with an established true democracy in Africa, we can begin to tackle the numerous problems that plague the continent.
The Pan-African Youth Leadership Forum will be a one week program to be held in Accra, Ghana in June 2007. Ghana's stable political climate and tolerance for free expression make it a suitable location for the youth forum. Ghana was also chosen based on historical considerations. The country is one with a long and rich pre-colonial history. March 6, 2007 commemorated 50 years of Ghana’s independence, Ghana having been the first African nation to gain autonomy from a colonial power. The independent nation's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was one of Africa's most influential leaders and a pioneer of the Pan African movement, making Ghana an appropriate location for a forum that will be dedicated to cultivating leadership skills and Pan African sentiment among youth.
The forum will host by approximately 106 African youth delegates from various nations. The delegates selected for participation will bring various areas of expertise, they will be among Africa’s most dedicated, promising and most creative young professionals. Each will have demonstrated a keen interest in Africa’s development, and will be actively engaged in promoting human rights, democracy, good governance and social justice in their respective countries.
The goals of the Forum are manifold. The first three days will be focused on dialogue with international experts from Africa and elsewhere. This will be accompanied by skills building workshops on human rights and democratic governance in Africa, using models from countries with enduring democracy. Building upon personal expertise and on the training participants received from the forum, the fourth day will feature regional dialogues on plans of action, strategies for implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The fifth day will be an international conference where dignitaries in decision making bodies of the continent will be presented with our recommendations. Participants will be able to have a one-on-one discussion with Heads of State present in Ghana for the African Union Heads of State Summit at which the plight of African youth and the development process will be addressed. On the final day, the participants will embark on a field trip to historical sites in Ghana.
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African Youth Charter [ppt]
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