African governments have been asked to provide opportunities for inclusive development especially among its young people.
Dr Donald Kaberuka, former president of the Africa Development Bank, said leaders should champion equal access to opportunities for all.
“The biggest equaliser is access to education. It is not just the number of kids we’re sending to school, but the learning outcomes. The next 60 years are not going to be the same as the last 60, the market is different,” Dr Kaberuka said Sunday at the ongoing Kusi Ideas Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.
At the panel discussion on how to turn the continents’ population explosion into an economic boom, Ms Sylvia Mulinge, chief customer officer at Safaricom, said that the challenge was how we create opportunities for the youth.
“There is an opportunity in creating digital jobs. As it is, you cannot have a strong company that exists in a weak society. Private companies now also have a responsibility to support government efforts in creating these opportunities for development not just of the young people but entire value chains,” Ms Mulinge said.
Ms Bintu Zahara Sakor, Africa & Norwegian researcher and data analyst, Peace Research Institute Oslo challenged the continent’s leaders to put aside ethnic division and work together to safeguard young people’s economic future.
