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Her Excellency Boemo Ndu Sekgoma, the Secretary General of the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), who is also the Patron of the Southern Africa Youth Forum has called for the the consolidation of policy and legal frameworks to empower the youth through innovative education, in line with the theme of the African Union for this year.
She made the remarks in Harare yesterday in her keynote address while officially opening the 6th Southern Africa Youth Forum held under the theme “Empowering the Future: Innovative Education for Sustainable Development in Africa” running from the 10th-13th August 2024 in Zimbabwe.
“This time around as we ponder on the theme: “Empowering the Future: Innovative Education for Sustainable Development in Southern Africa,” we will be contemplating the consolidation of policy and legal frameworks to empower the youth through innovative education, in line with the theme of the African Union for this year,” she said.
To truly empower the youth, she reiterated the need to embrace innovative education that is relevant, inclusive, and transformative.
Ms. Sekgoma said education should not be confined to traditional classrooms but should encompass a holistic approach that nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, adding it should equip young people with the knowledge and tools to address the pressing issues of our time, such as climate change, poverty, and inequality.
“We cannot talk about Innovative Education for Sustainable Development in Southern Africa without first ensuring access to education for young people, particularly young women. A recent report by the United Nations Secretary-General, presented on 12 July 2023 and titled “A World of Debt: A Growing Burden to Global Prosperity,” paints quite a grim picture of the growing public debt burden and its impact on the provision of education and health. The report reveals that, on average, African countries pay four times more for borrowing than the United States and eight times more than the wealthiest European economies.
“This has precipitated a situation where a total of 52 countries—almost 40 percent of the developing world—are in serious debt trouble.”
Currently, half of all developing nations spend a minimum of 7.4% of their export revenues on servicing external public debt. The rapid growth of interest payments is surpassing other public expenditures, with some governments being compelled to spend more on servicing debt than on critical sectors like education and health. More disturbingly, the report shows that at least 19 developing nations allocate more money to interest payments than to education, and 45 allocate more to interest payments than to health expenditures.
The disparities in interest rates not only highlight the inherent inequality in the international financial system but also expose how this system, which disproportionately burdens developing countries and their capacities to deliver education, cannot be sustained.
The Parliamentarian said young people must add their voices to the calls for a reformed and fit-for-purpose International Financial Architecture—one that is more inclusive and responsive. This will ensure that developing countries are not only actively involved in the governance of the international financial system but also able to prioritize funding for education and health.
The current skewed financial system contributes to inequalities and vulnerabilities among young people and exacerbates social challenges such as child marriages. Such inequalities and vulnerabilities worsen in crises, as was seen during COVID-19, in climate-related disasters like droughts and cyclones, and situations of political conflicts.
The youth of today are simultaneously dealing with multiple challenges on different fronts. Hyperinflation, unemployment, inequality, poverty, climate change, and lack of adequate housing are concerns that impact negatively the health and quality of life of the youth.
According to statistics, at least 4 SADC countries have a youth unemployment rate of more than 30%. It is also well known that the major chunk of the unemployment ratio is to be attributed to the youth who are often unskilled and are in transition to settling down into stable employment. The youth also constitute the population segment which is progressively moving out of their family homes and thus in search of adequate housing.
At the same time, over 25% of People Living with HIV in most SADC countries constitute the youth, and it is also the youth faction, especially women, who suffer disproportionately from gender-based violence.
It is no secret that in Africa, the youth do not participate equitably in entrepreneurship, innovation, or in intellectual property.
“Education is at the centre of life, and without education, children and the youth cannot gain the requisite skills and competencies to partake in socio-economic development. Education aims to fully develop human personality and its understanding of human dignity. In this respect, I must emphasise that the SADC Parliamentary Forum has consistently advocated for comprehensive education to be dispensed to the youth from a rules-based approach in line with the human right to education consecrated under Articles 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and Article 17 of the African Charter for Human and Peoples’ Rights,” she added.
Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF) Regional Coordinator, Misheck Gondo said (SAYoF) is a regional development platform for youth in the Southern Africa region (16 member countries), that aims to promote effective youth participation, development, and empowerment in the Southern Africa region.
“SAYoF serves as a platform for young people to engage in action, dialogue, advocacy, and collaboration on various issues affecting youth and, is a member of SAf-CNGO and works with other regional organizations to empower young people and ensure sustainable inclusion in developmental processes,” Gondo said.
SAYoF sits in the Global Coalition for Youth, Peace, and Security, a UN-CSO partnership to advance youth for peace, SAYoF sits in the Dengue Advisory Group an international committee to fight Dengue a Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and was appointed by African Union (AU) to be part of the Africa Youth Front on Covid-19. SAYoF sits in the Network for Religious and Traditional Peace Makers–Inclusive Based Community of Practice Steering Group.
It is the Secretariat for the African Youth Commission on AfCFTA and a secretariat for the Southern Africa Rare Diseases Coalition. As defined by the Youth Development Model (YDM), SAYoF believes that youth in the Southern Africa region should be Stakeholders, Innovators, Change Makers, and Leaders for Transformation not only beneficiaries of state resources. SAYoF believes real transformation is when young people are sustainably part of the development trajectory, own factors of production, and are at the center of policies, practices, and instruments by SADC and its member states.
The Forum is a solution-oriented platform, convened by youth and stakeholders in Civil Society to advance sustainable inclusion, empowerment, and youth participation in line with Development Strategies. The forum is hosted under the Southern Africa Council of NGOs (SAf-CNGO) formerly SADC-CNGO and coordinated by its youth representative the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF) in partnership with SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF). The Southern Africa Youth Forum is a platform that brings together youth representatives, policymakers, the private sector, academia, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss and address issues pertinent to the youth in the SADC member states.
The forum aims to provide a space for young people to voice their concerns, share experiences, and contribute to developing and implementing policies that affect their lives. It serves as a platform for dialogue, networking, and collaboration among youth from different countries in the Southern African region, Africa, and other invited continents. The Southern Africa Youth Forum centers around various themes and topics that are relevant to the youth. These may include education, employment, entrepreneurship, youth leadership, gender equality, climate change, governance, peace, and social inclusion
