The President, Independent Pan-African Youth Parliament (IPAYP), Mr Sixtus Nwoke, has urged governments to engage the youths in decision-making and policy formulation processes, to foster the growth of democracy across the country.
Nwoke said this on Thursday while briefing newsmen on the second edition of the African Leadership Awards, in partnership with the African Youth Commission, scheduled for between Sept. 22 and 23 in Nairobi, Kenya.
He said that young people between ages 18 and 35 formed the majority of the African population that was faced with challenges such as unemployment, hunger, poverty and inequality.
According to him, young people, especially the youths, including the highly educated ones, suffer from factors such as low wages, dead-end work and unemployment.
“The African Union, as part of its strategy to eliminate these challenges developed the `Africa we want’ aspirations through the agenda 2063 framework, to ensure a brighter and promising future for the youths.
“One of the main objectives of the IPAYP is to continuously seek for ways of ensuring that government are held accountable for youth development.
“They have done this through adopting the African Youth Charter and it is important to engage with young people from Africa, to renew our commitment to our continent,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in 2015, the first edition of the award recognised Mrs Ekaete Okoro, Head of NGO relations at Shell Petroleum Nigeria for her commitment to young persons from the volatile Niger Delta region.
In 2016, 13 persons and two institutions would be given an African Leadership Award with six awards going to Nigerians.