African youth must be emancipated

Lazarus Sauti

Youth emancipation for sustainable development is a right and African countries should guarantee and uphold this fundamental human right.

African youths must therefore commit themselves to the struggle for economic emancipation and work towards the development of the continent.

To unravel emancipation, it is any of various efforts to procuring political right or equality, often for a specifically disenfranchised group, or more generally in discussion of such matters.

Ibrahim Ceesay, a social justice activist, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Youth Ambassador and independent film‐maker from Gambia believes that African youths must be emancipated to transform the economy of the continent.

“It is the young people of Africa that must drive the charge within the continent to achieve a society based on universal human rights, equality and prosperity,” Ceesay said.

African National Congress (ANC) spokesman Jackson Mthembu shares the same views with Ceesay.

“The struggle for economic emancipation and economic freedom in this lifetime is undoubtedly the struggle that this generation of young people must commit their collective energies to,” Mthembu said.

Mthembu goes on to say: “Young people are free to belong to a trade union, political party or any other organised formation of their choice. While much had been achieved, there still remained much more to be done”.

It is critical therefore to note that young people’s emancipation needs to go beyond ‘platforms of participation’ and move beyond token to intrinsic engagement.

This therefore requires African governments to avail basic access to information especially to the marginalised, younger, and hard to reach youth demographically.

“This information must incorporate improving their awareness through engaging youth about constitutional rights, basic governance, zero tolerance on corruption, and leadership principles,” Ceesay explained.

The rest of civil society, added Ceesay, should play a leading role in more integrated lobbying for accountability on the part of governments, in true partnership with youth.

To effectively emancipate African youths, governments in countries within the African continent should promote the proper handling of mass information, education and communication.

Ceesay notes, “Promoting mass information, education and communication that enables young people to express their needs and participate in making decisions affecting them at all level is crucial to the emancipation of young people in Africa.”

Youth emancipation for sustainable development will continue to be a lip service if countries in the African continent do not provide avenues that equip the youth to be free economically.

Accordingly, to economically free the youths for sustainable development, the continent needs 3 kinds of people.

“The continent needs thinkers (politicians and leaders of today); builders (civil society, private sectors and most importantly women our mothers and mentors); and sustainers (youths are the most important pillars of development,” Ceesay said.

More so, to economically free African youths, emancipation should be a principle and it should be religiously followed by Africa and her citizenry.