Claiming your acre of Africa
By: Mikhaila Cupido Musoni (Coordinator of the Africa Democracy Forum)
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The African Democracy Forum ran the Youth Image competition* aimed at young Africans and their thinking on what democracy means to them. The aim of the competition was to have African youth contribute to the debate on democracy in Africa. We received entrants from across the continent sharing with us their experience of democracy in their respective countries.
In looking through the entries it was apparent how diverse they are, indicative again of how diverse Africa is and how no one person’s experience even within a country can be interpreted as the same.
In looking to what the future holds and what role the youth have to play in the future I am reminded of the African proverb
it’s the young trees that make up the forest
. There are a great many shortcomings that can be discussed: we can mention the lack of resources, both financially and infrastructural. We could focus on the many war zones that are still a part of the tapestry of Africa, the gerontocracy that still plagues our leadership. But for the moment I choose to focus on the prowess of these young trees that are our African youth. There is a lot that should keep us hopeful of the future and so for now let’s focus on the good news!
African youth have access to information at a rate not possible just a few decades ago this has inspired youth to share open dialogue with heads of state, opinion leaders and private investors alike. The voice of African youth is by no means a subdued one, and where it is like in parts of the world such as Tanzania and Uganda where the respective presidents have decided that taxes should be lauded on the use of social media the fight continues. Hopefully we learn from history, and the lives lost in a country like South Africa where the Soweto Uprising of 1976 saw Apartheid police clash with youth who demanded their right to an education in their mother tongue and subsequently lost their lives to see that right being adhered to.
Forbes Magazine, has in the last seven years annually released their
30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa,
in 2018 they chose 30 winners out of 650 nominations. One that stood out for me was in the transportation sector Ricky Rapa Thompson of Uganda developed the SafeBoda app a version of “Uber”. This young man with the world at his feet has been growing a community of motor bike riders (boda’s) – a common means of transportation in the capital of Kampala providing the people their with easy, safe access to transport. It is initiatives such as these that give me hope for what the future holds for Africa. It is easy to get bogged down with the sheer numbers, in truth 200 million Africans fall into the category of youth. But the reality is that every day there are people like Ricky who make a difference. As Civil Society as citizens of this continent it is important that we remain mindful of this. It is important that we act for the good of Africa where we are – to make our acre of Africa unique as every little bit helps.
We look forward to sharing with you the outcome of our competition and playing our part as the African Democracy Forum in providing a platform for African youth. Judges will be meeting in the coming weeks to evaluate the competition entrants, the five (5) winners will be joining the African Democracy Forum team on a field visit to the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
If you visit our Facebook page you would have seen the work of some of our entrants if not please visit our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/AfricanDemocracyForum
you will see the work of people from across Africa and their perception of democracy. Who knows you might see a little of your own opinion in there.
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Helping the Youth for the better future of Africa
The majority of Africa’s population is under the age of 30 which could be either a great challenge or a great opportunity. Young Africans are now taking actions that will have immediate impact and will also determine the fate of the African continent in the years to come. That’s a huge responsibility put on the shoulders of the youth. Although they have a lot of weight on them, they also have a lot of influence. For Africa to become the great continent that it is destined to be, young people have to make sure that the influence they carry is channeled correctly and the energy directed towards relevant issues that affect not only them, but the generations to come. This can be achieved if they come together and begin to address the challenges faced by the continent.
It has been said time and time again, that young Africans don’t focus on local issues as much as they focus on what is happening in the US or Europe which leads to one concluding that we as a continent haven’t done a decent job when it comes to telling our own stories regarding what affecting our people, whether good or bad. The challenges one could discuss include unemployment, mismanagement of government resources or institutions, xenophobia or the fact that many Africans are dying at sea trying to join “greener pastures”.
The youth needs to take ownership and responsibility of these mentioned challenges or we will keep allowing other western nations and organizations to do so on their terms. How can the young Africans create a future in which the generations to come can be proud of? This requires African nations and appointed leaders as well as citizens, to rise together and drive their own agenda and not wait for other nations to give them directions or instructions.
The world at large is advancing technologically so it is vital that Africa invests in sufficiently educated and skilled youth in order for Africa to rise. There’s a huge gap between what the job industry demands and the education programs. Government can make sure the curricula is in line with the same direction the world is going otherwise the African continent will only be left with a large percentage of the population that has irrelevant skills and qualifications that they can’t benefit from.
Africa needs home grown solutions to local challenges and for this to happen, the youth needs to be encouraged to cultivate innovation among themselves. Governments need to create opportunities, invest and build young people’s abilities to innovate and be entrepreneurs. This requires not only strong political will to encourage these ideas, but for us as a people to push for a culture that encourages the building and shaping of the Africa that we want through planning, implementation, accountability, partnership and great values.
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What's happening in Africa:
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Related Articles/News
By Larissa Whego, Cameroon
« I dream of the realization of the Unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses ». Nelson Mandela
Agenda 2063 of the African Union is a strategic document guiding the continent’s development and renaissance. It was adopted in May 2013 at the 50
th
anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), nowadays African Union (AU). At that summit, the African Union Commission was tasked with designing a strategic document, featuring on one hand, the continent’s aspirations for development in many areas and on the other hand, operational mechanisms for the achievement of the aspirations. With the help of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Union Commission engaged youth, women, the diaspora, public and private actors, civil society organizations and other actors in a consultative and inclusive process to design Agenda 2063.
The first chapter of the Agenda not only describes the African Union 50 years after its inception, but also the context in which Agenda 2063 was adopted, strongly inspired by the ideals of Pan-Africanism and the history of the continent. It is important to note, after reading this chapter, that Agenda 2063 is in line with a process already launched by the Monrovia Declaration, the Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty and the creation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). These are Africa’s initiatives that were implemented in the past.
The second chapter develops the African Union’s vision by 2063. In this vein, it emphasizes on the aspirations of the continent in all fields of social life and questions the operationalization of the ambitions.
To read the rest of the article as well as the french version, follow the links below
- https://larissawhego.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/african-unions-agenda-2063-the-expression-of-the-african-dream/
- https://larissawhego.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/agenda-2063-de-lunion-africaine-lexpression-du-reve-africain/
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What is happening in other parts of Africa?
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Mali
After 6 years of political unrest and jihadist violence, Malians hoped that the July 29 elections would finally give them a way out of that turmoil. However, there was doubt on the government’s ability to hold the poll on time due to attacks by militants which disrupted the distribution of voting cards.
Although the 2013 elections that were won by president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita marked a return to democratic rule, and despite the thousands of French troops deployed since 2013, the security situation in the country has only gotten worse.
Opposition front Runner, Soumaila Cisse and president Ibrahima, are expected to be the two main candidates. About 24 other candidates were contesting the presidency as well.
In some parts of Mali, there was no voting due to lack of security. The government has been urged to publish the places that were unable to vote in order to remove suspicions by candidates.
Malians along with peacekeepers are hoping that, as they wait for the second round of vote between the top two candidates that will be held on August 12, all political actors in Mali will commit to making this poll a peaceful, free and transparent process.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabweans voted on 30
th
of July in the first election since President Robert Mugabe was removed. These general elections were held in order to elect the president and members of both houses of parliament. This is a moment the people of Zimbabwe hope will help the country recover from its failed economy.
The main candidates that were expected to lead in the elections were Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Robert Mugabe ally and opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa. The nature of the poll was historic not only because it was the first one that didn’t include Mugabe in over three decades but that it also had two dozen more candidates. On the eve of the election former president Mugabe announced during a surprise press conference that he would vote for the opposition which surprised Mnangagwa.
Both candidates expressed confidence in victory however results came out announcing that acting president Mnangagwa had won majority of the votes. According to results, the ruling party, Zanu-PF, won majority of seats in the National Assembly, 110 out of 210 seats while the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) got 41 seats.
Some of the citizens of Zimbabwe as well as members of the international community, questioned the legitimacy of the elections. The opposition accused the government of rigging the votes which later on led to MDC supporters rioting and the army opening fire and killing three people and injuring many others.
Zimbabweans hope the winner will put the country back on track after decades tainted by corruption, mismanagement of country’s resources and diplomatic isolation during Mugabe’s rule.
Uganda
During the first week of July, the Ugandan government began to implement a disturbing new set of tax rules which required social media users to pay a daily fee of 200 Ugandan shillings for using apps like Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook. This new fee is to be collected through mobile money services which impose a one percent tax for every transaction.
The reason given by the government was that the new taxes would raise revenue for the benefit of everyone in the country, however critics were suggesting that it was a way for the government to smother free speech.
Parliamentary spokesman, Chris Obore, said that it is a way for the government not to rely on donor funding and added that the tax is very small and that people won’t find it too expensive. However, many Ugandans who have been complaining on social media do not agree with that statement, saying that the new tax will push the const of internet access further out of reach for millions of low-income and unemployed citizens.
President Museveni also went on record saying that it was a security measure to avert lies intended to incite violence and illegal declaration of election results. The statement didn’t change the fact that a lot of Ugandans remained angry and skeptical saying that it is not the first time the government has made decisions seen as curbing social media use in the country.
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News from ADF Members
Turkish aid agency provides modern office furniture, equipment to workers’
headquarters
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has now completed a project to strengthen the institutional capacity of the workers’ umbrella organization, the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU).
TIKA has delivered the FESTU headquarters in Mogadishu, which is now named “Union House”, a modern office furniture, equipped with computers, printers, LCD projectors, scanners, and photocopiers.
Supported by the Turkish Trade Unions Confederation (HAK-IS), the project is strengthening established partnership and cooperation between FESTU and HAK-IS to build for and empower Somali workers and their unions with the ability to effectively execute their mandates.
At the inauguration ceremony of the fully equipped trade union offices, FESTU General Secretary Omar Faruk Osman very sincerely thanked the TIKA and Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu for seeing the need to build a strong trade union institution as genuine contribution to workers in Somalia’s post-war reconstruction effort.
“To our sister federation HAK-IS and TIKA, we are beholden by your authentic solidarity, valid assistance and effectiveness in delivering concrete actions to help build workers’ institution in this country,” said Osman.
“The value of sunrise is only known to people who were in the dark. We, the members of FESTU, know the value of this invaluable support. We know the real friends of this trade union movement whom we cherish and appreciate to the core,” added Osman.
The Ambassador of Turkey to Somalia, H.E. Olgan Bekar has saluted FESTU and TIKA for the successful partnership to magnificently create conducive working environment for Somali trade unions, and reiterated the commitment to help facilitate the cooperation between HAK-IS and FESTU to further develop to reach higher heights.
Turkey is contented to invest in this important trade unions program as part of infrastructure projects that TIKA has been implementing across the country for both government institutions and civil society organizations, said Ambassador Bekar.
Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Somalia Hon Abdiasis Salah Arman has today commended the government of Turkey for its substantial support in providing the Somali people with multifaceted support.
“A nation is strong when its civic organizations are strong. We thank Turkey for providing this timely support to the workers of Somalia and the federation that voice the rights demand of workers in this country and beyond. Today we are present for real empowerment of trade unions and we encourage FESTU to effectively make use of this support” said the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
President of HAK-IS, Mahmut Arslan, has amiably affirmed that HAK-IS is proud to have supported the initiative to institutionally capacitate FESTU so that workers’ clout and validity are reassured in Somalia as the country is rebuilding, and further emphasized to sustain boosted cooperation with FESTU.
The Union House will be the offices and the operating base of FESTU and four of its affiliated sector unions, and will certainly grant an enabling environment for Somali trade unions to function successfully.
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Upcoming Events/Activities
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INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY:
Among the many activities that are ongoing at Never Again Rwanda, they organize various platforms such as public speaking and exchange to promote youth’s concerns and voices on issues concerning conflict and peace in their communities, organize youth safe and protected spaces for healing, youth empowerment sessions on critical thinking skills and civic awareness as well as training sessions on governance issues concerning youth participation in decision making processes.
It is from this background and in light of this year’s theme for the International Youth Day,
Safe Spaces for Youth,
that Never Again Rwanda will organize a youth conference to provide a platform for youth to discuss some the issues raised by the youth. The event will take place at Mabasa Umubano Hotel, in Kigali, Rwanda, on the 12
th
of August 2018.
The event will have the following objectives:
· To create awareness on creation of safe spaces that provide youth opportunities to express their diverse opinions
· To create awareness on how to promote a culture of listening to youth needs and concerns in existing youth spaces
· To create awareness on how promote critical thinking culture to enable youth increase their sense of responsibility and ownership of their actions in their communities.
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To create awareness on how to promote a culture of constructive Intergenerational dialogue between youth and parents.
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AFRICAN IMAGE YOUTH COMPETITION JUDGING PHASE
The youth competition that was organized and launched by the African Democracy Forum has now reached the phase whereby judges will go through competitors submissions to see who our potential five winners are. The finalists will get to go to Addis Ababa to visit the African Union Headquarters on an all paid 3 day trip. The top 5 winners will be announced towards the end of August.
Follow our social media accounts for updates regarding this competition.
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