YouthConnekt Africa Summit 2024
A Gathering of Youth Visionaries
From 08-10 November 2024, Kigali, Rwanda, hosted the 7th YouthConnekt Africa Summit, a monumental event that brought together over 4,000 delegates. These included youth entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators, artists, students, Heads of State, Ministers of Youth, government officials, AU Commission leaders, heads of development partners, international organisations, business leaders, innovation and incubation labs, academia, sports and creative industry leaders, and media representatives from 33 African Member States.
Egumeni Hub at Youth Connekt Summit
The Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) and partners organised a series of youth engagement and empowerment sessions during the 7th edition Youth Connekt Africa Summit 2024, the theme, “Jobs for Youth Through Innovative Skilling”.
The Pavilion (Egumeni Hub), a dynamic and empowering space was designed to celebrate and harness the creative potential of African youth. Over the course of the event, participants engaged in a series of transformative activities, including workshops, masterclasses, intergenerational and Mentorship dialogue to advance AU’s Agenda 2063.
Connecting for Socio-Economic Transformation
YouthConnekt Africa is aimed at connecting African youth for socio-economic transformation and most recently, a vehicle to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. It is one of Africa’s largest conveners of youth-focused policy discussions and business initiatives, addressing critical development challenges through ecosystem-building, knowledge-sharing, and continental collaboration.
The summit underscored the necessity of entrepreneurship for many young Africans. With limited job opportunities and economies struggling to support a growing youth population, the entrepreneurial spirit was celebrated as a means to shape individual futures and reimagine the future of communities and the continent as a whole.
Overcoming Financial Barriers
During the summit, there were dynamic sessions including leadership roundtables, spotlight presentations, exchange lounges, and high-level plenaries. Youth engaged with policymakers, business leaders, and innovators, discussing, debating, and determining the future of Africa.
Discussions highlighted the challenges young entrepreneurs face in securing funding due to traditional financial systems demanding collateral, long credit histories, and connections. The summit showcased innovative solutions for inclusive finance, such as youth-friendly products like microloans, grants, and financial literacy programs, providing a glimpse into a more inclusive financial future.
Focus of the 2024 Summit: Jobs for Youth Through Innovative Skilling
Themed “Jobs for Youth Through Innovative Skilling,” the 2024 YouthConnekt Africa Summit focused on equipping young Africans with the skills needed to thrive in the future of work. This theme aligned perfectly with the African Union’s Theme of the Year 2024 – “Educate (and Skill) an African Fit for the 21st Century.”
The six thematic areas that were explored were:
- Skilling and education-to-employment transitions
- Digital and tech innovations in Africa
- Reimagining Africa’s creative industries and sports economy
- Youth innovating the agrifood systems
- Youth mental and sexual reproductive health
- Youth in trade, entrepreneurship and access to finance.
Policy Outcomes for a Brighter Future
Under the theme of jobs for youth through innovative skilling, the summit aimed to achieve several policy outcomes:
- Comprehensive understanding of youth unemployment: Insights were shared on the root causes, regional disparities, and socio-economic implications of youth underemployment and unemployment in Africa.
- Informed investments in skills development and job creation: There was emphasis on the support for global partnerships to design skills development programs that are market-relevant and tailored to the diverse needs and aspirations of African youth.
- Enhanced collaboration and knowledge exchange: The summit fostered a multi-stakeholder approach, creating synergies and coherence in tackling youth unemployment.
- Showcase successful initiatives: Strategic investments and collaborations in market-driven youth-skilling programs were inspired, with accelerated turnaround times.
AU-EU Youth Lab Programme
A notable feature of the summit was the AU-EU Youth Lab Programme, focusing on advancing youth participation, providing training and capacity building, and supporting youth-led initiatives through financial aid. This program promotes intercultural exchange, tackles poverty and corruption, and addresses climate change, contributing to overall development and peace in Africa and Europe.
Voices from the Summit
Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP AA & Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, emphasized the importance of character building alongside skilling and education: “We have skills that have produced innovations that have been transformative but that has not necessarily led to an equal world.”
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by young people: “Today, just as I experienced what happened when I was 4 years old…why should it be happening now? Why should it happen anywhere in our continent?”
Looking Ahead
The event fostered collaboration between governments, the private sector, and youth, building an ecosystem for developing relevant skills and promoting youth employment across the continent. The conversation continues as Africa’s youth and their supporters work towards ‘The Africa We Want.’
#YouthConnekt2024 #Jobs4Youth
