Youth Around Africa Gather for the 1st African Urban Youth Assembly

Convened by the UNhabitat and hosted by the Government of Nigeria, the 1st African Urban Youth Assembly attracted over 300 delegates including members of African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC) from Uganda, Liberia, Rwanda and Nigeria.  The event centers around the theme “Youth and Prosperity of Cities” and focuses on the role of the youth in prosperity of Cities.

President Goodluck Jonathan , represented by the  Minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi revealed that government will accelerate action on the establishment of the National Youth Development Fund as a launch pad for young people who are aspiring to be self-employed and self-reliant.

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, the representative of UN Habitat, Prof. Oyeyinka Oyebanji  said the programme is designed as an avenue for African youth to discuss and identify action on issue of youth empowerment and economic growth. Also speaking as one of the Panelist at the session on " United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP17", Ms Esther Agbarakwe, Director of the Nigerian Youth Climate called on African youth to begin preparation towards COP17 with action plans backed up with strong advocacy. She further called on the African Governmet to support youth delegate through capacity building and local mobilization. while calling on African government to be united and she thanked the Global youth Movement for supporting African Youth through the negociations. 

The Habitat Agenda promotes a positive vision where everyone has access to adequate housing, a safe and healthy environment with basic services and which can manage mobility through better urban planning and provide better public services to avoid urban sprawl. Sixty per cent of people in African cities also live in slums and informal developments because of inappropriate or inadequate policies. This percentage is even higher in post-conflict countries. Addressing urban issues offers opportunity to tackle wider development concerns such as unemployment, safety and security, social exclusion and the provision of basic services, gender inequality, climate change and the environment.

The event provided  an opportunity to learn from the young optimistic spirit and seemingly boundless energy, best practices and lessons from the local, national and global levels and to present a platform for recognizing the potential of youth and youth initiatives to advocate for youth concerns, achievements and solutions.