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Arguably Kenya has been the sports powerhouse in Africa. For a long time Kenyan has quite been dominant on track and field events. The recent exploits by Eliud Kipchoge, winning the Berlin marathon in a record time then following it up with London marathon win; goes to show how Kenyan athletes have consistently put the country on the global map.
Agenda 2063 is the Vision of an integrated, prosperous Africa, driven by its own competent and Skilled citizens able to play in the global arena and has 7 Aspirations. The African union is working towards empowering the role of youth at different arenas in the different departmental mandates. Aspiration six of Agenda 2063 is calling to “An Africa whose development is people driven, relying on the potential offered by people, especially its women and youth and caring for children”. The efforts to support youth empowerment is translated through different decisions in the commission.
For years, boosting agricultural production was believed to be the solution to world hunger and malnourishment. But years of intensive farming with chemical fertilisers and pesticides has done little to move the needle on food insecurity, health metrics or life expectancy. Today, experts have identified a new kind of hunger-one caused by not lack of food but food that lack essential micronutrients necessary for growth and development.
One of the ways the youth can be empowered is by them actively being part of the leadership and having their say in decision making. Youth leadership is a subject that has gained traction in recent years. More than before the youths are now embolden, courageous and ready to take leadership and chart a better future for fellow youths and the generations to come. The adage, “youths are the leaders of tomorrow” probably stopped making much sense, when the youths sobered up and endeared to be part of the current leadership rather than waiting longer on side-lines.
Forty-nine of Africa’s 55 countries have signed the framework for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free and unfettered movement of businesspeople and investments. When at least 22 countries ratify it, the AfCFTA will officially come into force, potentially making the continent the largest trading bloc in the world. Africa Renewal’s Zipporah Musau spoke with Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), on what countries stand to gain and what challenges to expect. Excerpts:
After flying into the city of Bolin in the Republic of Chad, over the lush fields and receding lakes; Amina Mohammed, the United Nations’ Deputy Secretary-General landed to a rapturous welcome from traditional rulers and local women. Their faces reflected a hope and dignity slipping away under the harsh reality of poverty and insecurity. The women, smiling at them as they disembarked, showed the same resilience she had seen in women in countless contexts: an ability to survive, even in the face of multiple forms of violence and insecurity at home, in public or from political conflict.
In African woman with hoe in hand is the default symbol of agriculture in Africa, according to the late Calestous Juma, African academic and former Harvard Kennedy School professor. Mr. Juma used that image to convey the drudgery-filled farming that women on the continent face. Women grow 70% of Africa’s food on smallholder farms, a task anchored by physical labour.
Megacities, cities with a population of at least 10 million, are sprouting everywhere in Africa. Cairo in Egypt, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lagos in Nigeria are already megacities, while Luanda in Angola, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Johannesburg in South Africa will attain the status by 2030, according the United Nations. Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and Nairobi in Kenya will surpass the 10 million threshold by 2040. And by 2050 Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Bamako in Mali, Dakar in Senegal and Ibadan and Kano in Nigeria will join the ranks—bringing the total number of megacities in Africa to 14 in about 30 years.
United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Ahunna Eziakonwa is the new Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Ms. Eziakonwa had served as the UN Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia, Uganda and Lesotho. In this interview with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor, she discusses key issues pertaining to Africa’s socioeconomic development, including the empowerment of women and youth and Africa’s free trade area, which entered into force in April. These are excerpts.
