Accra:  This year's African Youth and Governance Conference, was held in Accra from the 10th to 12th of August, at the plush La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. The Conference was organized by the Youth Bridge Foundation with technical support from CDD-Ghana and supported by the Government of Ghana, UNFPA, Newmont and Voltic. Anchored on three pillars of youth policy, youth participation and youth empowerment and youth mobilization, the interactive Conference engaged young people from across Africa and the Diasporas on democratic governance issues and how they affect Africa's development.

Specifically, discussions centered on:

*  Implementation of the African Youth Charter

*  Innovative and Inclusive Approaches to Social Development in Africa

*  Youth and Natural Resource Management (Youth and Mining, Youth and Oil)

*  The Millennium Development Goals (focusing on Maternal/Child Mortality)

*  Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship.

On the International Youth Day, the 12th of August, Conference Delegates presented the communiqué to the Vice President, H. E John Mahama in Elmina before the launch of the National Youth Policy.

Below is a full text of the Communiqué.

PREAMBLE

We, the youth of Africa herein gathered in Accra for the 2nd African Youth and Governance Conference, organized by Youth Bridge Foundation in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Ghana, CDD-Ghana and with the support of the Government of Ghana, UNFPA, Newmont Ghana and VOLTIC GH Ltd., and anchored on the three pillars of Youth Policy, Participation and Empowerment, Youth Mobilization with Maternal Mortality, Inclusive Approaches to Social Development in Africa, Youth and Natural Resource Management (focused on Mining, Land, Oil and Gas) and Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship as unifying themes;

CONVINCED that Africa's greatest resource is its youthful population (60% of the continent's population) and that through their productive participation; Africans can surmount the continent's many challenges,

TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the inter-relatedness of the challenges facing African Youth and the need for cross-sectoral policies and programmes which attend to the needs of youth in a holistic manner;

NOTING with great concern the situation of the African youth, many of whom are excluded from mainstream society as a result of unemployment and underemployment, HIV/AIDS pandemic, poverty and hunger, illiteracy and poor quality of education, poor access to health services and a lack of access to information;

ALARMED by the continuous high incidence of maternal mortality which disproportionately affects African women;

ACKNOWLEDGING the commitments already made towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and inviting the partners to reaffirm their support to advance the wellbeing of youth,

CONSIDERING that the promotion and protection of the rights of the youth also demands the performance of duties by the youth as by all other actors in society,

ACKNOWLEDGING also the increasing calls and the enthusiasm of youth to actively participate at local, national, regional and international levels to determine their own development and the advancement of society at large,

GUIDED by the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the States Parties of the African Union, Parties to ‘African Youth Charter;

RESPONDING to the recent call of President Obama for the youth of Africa to take their destiny into their own hands;

ACKNOWLEDGING further the efforts of the Government of Ghana in launching the National Youth Policy

ENCOURAGED by the modest achievements chalked by the AYG Conference 2009 in the youth policy area and after the 2nd conference held from 10th August to 11th August 2010 at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra

HAVE NOTED THAT;

1. There continuous to be low participation of the youth in the process of decision making and policy development which has resulted in the unfriendliness of some policies developed by African governments and the AU.

2. The African youth has not been empowered enough to contribute meaningfully to the developmental agenda of Africa, especially in the allocation of funds by governments in Africa for the formulation and implementation of youth sensitive policies and programmes.

3. Maternal mortality has become a canker which is killing thousands of women in Africa every day including young mothers.

WE THEREFORE CALL ON:

Young People of Africa

1. Empower themselves through continuous learning and the search for knowledge to enable us participate in decision making and the development of Africa.

2. Develop skills in social and economic entrepreneurship as a way of overcoming the high incidence of unemployment among young people in Africa

3. Contribute to strengthening both state and non-state institutions for youth development and partner with other young people and young people organizations in the development of the African continent.

4. To engage governments and public office holders on solving the day to day issues of young people at both national and at the grassroots level through dialogue and negotiation

5. To resist any form of political or social negative mobilization that contributes to the problems of the African continent rather than solutions

6. To be proactive and ready to serve selflessly by contributing innovative and creative ideas to solving problems in Africa and the world as a whole.

7. Support young women of Africa to take their rightful place in society and in the development of their societies by participating fully in all spheres of human endeavor

African Governments

1. Ensure the active involvement of young people in their decision making and policy development process.

2. Ensure that all youth policies have legal backing (i.e. adopted by Parliament), in accordance with the Youth Charter to ensure long term development of the youth.

3. To make sufficient budgetary allocation to youth development and to support programs which contribute to youth development.

4. Particularly, support and develop programs to build and establish an enabling environment for entrepreneurship skills, youth mentoring and counseling, increased access to high education, particularly for young girls and responsive state and non-state institutions for young people at national and rural areas.

5. Develop and implement policies to facilitate access to credit for young people who would want to start their own businesses by engaging land owners to create and offer land banks to young people and the banking sector to improve the credit worthiness of young people

6. Review the infrastructure for technical education that inhibits access for young girls

7. Invest and monitor efforts to reduce significantly the high rate of maternal mortality in by developing infrastructures which supports expectant mothers in the process of child bearing.

8. Ensure the ratification and proper implementation of the African Youth Charter.

9. Involve young people in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation process of youth related projects, programs and policies

African Union

1. Support and fund initiatives targeted at youth development to facilitate their empowerment and promote accountability of such measures with the active participation of the youth as primary beneficiarie

2. Ensure that there is legal backing to policies of the Youth Charter

3. Encourage members to ensure the active participation of their youth in decision making processes for development in Africa.

4. Should consider narrowing the age bracket in the African Youth Charter from 15-35 to 15-24 which will enable the African Youth Charter be consistent with the age bracket of global standards and focus youth intervention

5. Should develop strategic plans to combat the emerging pandemic of maternal mortality which is killing a large number of young and adult women in Africa

6. Treat maternal mortality as a socio-developmental issue and not merely as a health issue

7. Develop and adopt a continent wide strategy for facilitating access to credit and land for young entrepreneurs to promote the positive mobilization of the about 60% of the continent's population and to help address the worsening incidence of unemployment among young people.

The Media

1. To join the advocacy campaign for governments to ratify the African Youth Charter

2. Disseminate information on the African Youth Charter and national youth policies

3. Engage in rigorous promotional activities for youth involvement in governance and create awareness about opportunities for young people

4. Disseminate information on structures, policies and programmes that contribute towards youth development.

5. Ensure the voices of young people are heard.

All Developing Partners

1. Focus on financing positive youth projects and programmes which contribute to the development of the African youth. Particularly, the establishment of sustainable platforms including state and non-state organizations that facilitate and promote youth development.

2. Particularly, support efforts to develop and implement a framework for improving access to credit and land for young entrepreneurs, improving mentoring skills and increase access to higher education.

3. Support the operationalisation of all youth related policies.

4. Promote sustainable partnerships, networking and integration of youth in national development efforts.

Dated 12th August, 2010

Youth Bridge Foundation
C205/29, East Legon
P. O. Box CT 5543
Cantonments - Accra

Tel: (+233) 21 936326/
20 9016886/
24 274 1316
Email: info@aygconference.org
Website: www.aygconference.org
www.youthbridgefoundation.net