The African Youth Question

There is no simple way to solving the African youth question. This book seeks to make a simple but no ordinary call on all stakeholders to take steps and help solve the youth question across the continent. This is a call, which does not require guns and machetes, but intellectual and moral weapons without which lasting results can never be secured. One other important issue worth mentioning, if even in passing, is the slur of ghettoes. Ghettoes have been known to provide safe havens for criminals and traps for the vulnerable youth especially the homeless, poverty stricken and those from hot spots. Ghettoes do not only provide fertile grounds for criminals, they also provide them with the opportunity to recruit vulnerable youth to their fold. There is no doubt that, policies have no legs to walk on into reality. The traditional track for their movement into reality is through programmes deliberately designed and religiously adhered to. On the other hand, institutions implement programmes. Thus the stronger, effective and resourceful an institution is, the better the programmes are implemented and consequently the effectiveness of the policy in the lives of the intended target. The media, with its reach, the ability to set agenda, and its 'god' status in the eyes of society should attempt to educate the youth on family values to the society. Debates could be generated on the essence of the family unit among others to psyche society up by highlighting the inherent beauty of the family system.The time has come for chieftaincy institution, to reassert its traditional duties to the youth and society. This is a call for grassroot education where chiefs and sub-chiefs would engage their societies in meaningful 'Nim-tree' and Baobab-tree discussions to establish codes and reinstate the position of the family in the society and more importantly to the youth.Two critical programmes, which could provide substantive and long-term opportunities to the youth, should centre on Incubation Centres and National Employment Programme. Traditionally, incubation centres give office space and technical advice in the early years of start-ups with the capacity, by design, to support any area of entrepreneurial direction government policies indicates.The high level of expertise required to successfully manage a business, coupled with the cost of rent, makes it necessary for the government, either singularly or in partnership, to support the culture of the business incubation centres. These incubation centres should be established with the core goal of providing the necessary technical support and protection for young entrepreneurs during the critical early stages of their businesses. As a matter of national priority, African leaders need to build and empower youth entrepreneurs.The issue of job centres with an online option would enhance the job search and security of the youth. That is to say, the government should establish job centres on campuses and commercial centres to facilitate youth job search. Or as an option, a multi-purpose job centre in cities. Additionally, it would be necessary to set up a Skills Bridging Centre to specifically guide graduates to prepare them for the job market. Stakeholders such as Student Unions could make inputs as to the implementation and running of youth programmes. Student Unions would provide a platform for raw inputs from students on the programme and would serve as reliable and low cost medium of information between students and the programme. ICT is now at the forefront of many an Africa nation. As a case in point, the book elaborately discusses Rwanda’s ICT programme. Rwanda has an ambitious programme to make the country the ICT hub of Africa. The programme is in the third phase now. It started in 2000. The first phase ran up to 2005, with the aim of creating sustainable favourable conditions for ICT environment as a tool for development. Africa has the resources needed to build her youth.