The build up to the formulation and adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was the most inclusive global development process, an improvement from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with millions of people including children, youth, governments, civil society, academia, private sector and the media consulted through grassroots consultations generating local voices, aspirations and perspectives to make the world a better place by 2030.
The 2030 Agenda is particularly relevant to Africa for many reasons. Africa’s population is growing rapidly and expected to double by 2055. UNDP`s report projected that, by 2055, the continent’s youth population (aged 15-24), is expected to be more than double the 2015 total of 226 million. Yet the continent remains stubbornly inhospitable – politically, economically, and socially – to young people. The success of the SDGs for the world and particularly for Africa will depend on the continent`s ability to invest in its sovereign capital, the human resources especially the youth.
The Contributions of African Youth SDGs Summit to the SDGs Achievement
In response to the need to consolidate the efforts and contributions of young people during the Post2015 era and to offer space for youth engagement and participation in the monitoring and accountability of the Sustainable Development Goals, the African Youth SDGs Summit was established. Launched in 2017, the African Youth SDGs Summit was the first continental SDG event to be held in the sub-Saharan Africa and the largest gathering space for dialogue, networking, learning and celebration of successes and participation of young people in the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and AU Agenda 2063.
As an improvement and follow up process from the first summit, the 2nd African Youth SDGs Summit took place in November 2018 in Accra, attracted 1400 delegates, with approximately 45% being females, from females, from across the African continent who declared their readiness to partner with leaders to drive the implementation of the SDGs.
The summit did not only offer young people a space and a voice, but also created a platform for the youth from different countries to connect with one another, It was also an opportunity for them to dialogue with government officials. In the end, the summit brought the UN System closer to young people and offered a community for civil society organizations, businesses and development partners to exchange knowledge, best practices and forge new partnerships that would accelerate the SDGs implementation for the youth in Africa. Health and nutrition, clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth that emphasized youth employment and migration, climate change and agriculture, youth leadership and governance were just some of the many issues that the young people spoke about. Education as a cross-cutting covered all the focus areas of the summit. The summit is a foundation and a catalyst for local partnerships with local governments, CSOs, local UN systems, and in some cases the summit participants have themselves become accountability or monitoring champions for SDGs delivery in Africa.
