The necessity for African Union (AU) member states to provide women and youth with leadership opportunities at all levels has been emphasized by President John Dramani Mahama.
Although they make up the majority of the population, young people are sadly underrepresented at the decision-making table, he remarked.
Africa’s youth hold the key to its future. At yesterday’s inaugural session of the AU retreat on the implementation of institutional reforms in Nairobi, Kenya, President Mahama stated that although more than 60% of our population is under 25, their opinions are mainly ignored when formulating policies.
“We must institutionalise a framework that empowers our young people and our women to lead at all levels of governance. The energy of our youth, their creativity and vision are the drivers of the Africa we all seek to build,” he added.
The retreat aims to discuss important challenges facing the continent, such as commerce, funding, and terrorism.
President Mahama claims that the continental body’s excessive reliance on outside finance compromises its capacity to establish and carry out its own agenda.
He believed that in order for the AU to fulfill the goals of its founders, it was imperative that it be financially independent.
The Kigali Decision on Financing the Union, a 2016 resolution reached by African Union Heads of State and Government at the AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, must be implemented immediately, according to President Mahama.
“Your excellences, one of the pillars of reforms is AU’s financial autonomy. The over-reliance on external partners for funding compromises the organisation’s independence for funding and ability to set its own agenda. The implementation of the Kigali decision on financing the union must be expedited,” he stated.
According to President Mahama, the African Continental Free Trade Area, which has its headquarters in Accra, lays the groundwork for a unified African market, but much more needs to be done.
He urged, “We must address the barriers to trade, harmonise regulatory framework and invest in infrastructure to unlock the potential of intra Africa trade.”
He asserted that in order to promote economic growth and inclusivity, the AU must support technology innovation and digital transformation.
“The African payment systems that allows us to pay seamlessly for goods traded between our countries must be expedited so that we can have a system of exchange. None of these reforms would succeed without committed leadership at all levels of the AU. We as heads of states and governments have a duty to lead by example to prioritise the collective good of our people over our parochial interests and to act decisively in the interest of our continent,” he stated.
Source: newsthemegh.com