Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the former Prime Minister and an elder in COMESA, has emphasized the importance of youth participation in the quest to elevate the African continent.
Speaking as the guest of honor at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Inter-generational Dialogue at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Rugunda pointed out that the primary challenges facing Africa today can be summed up in one word: backwardness.
He attributed this backwardness to a variety of historical factors, including the long-lasting impacts of slavery, which claimed millions of lives, and the subsequent colonization that treated Africans as mere commodities.
He noted that resources such as minerals, cocoa, coffee, and cotton were exploited to benefit foreign powers rather than the local population.
Rugunda urged that it is now the responsibility of those who have suffered and been exploited to rise up, recognize their potential, and build the necessary capacity to overcome their oppressors and take control of their own destinies.
“We can only do so if we reunite, because when we unite, we become stronger, and when we become stronger, we then develop the capacity to be able to build industries to add value to our qualities, trade on equal towns. At the moment, we are trading in an unequal and unfair town, they are taking our raw materials at a much cheaper price and selling it back to us expensive,” he noted.
Angle Mbuthia, chairperson COMESA youth advisory panel, Kenya, in her opening remarks said that “today we are having the third intergenerational dialogue, and we’ve had a series of dialogues where we bring young people and elders so that there can be a conversation between the two. We have noticed that in our analysis, that decision making spaces are crumbled by lack of interaction between the young people and elders.”
This was during the 3rd intergenerational dialogue forum at Munyonyo today November 12, 2024.
“The intergenerational conflicts that exist among our communities, and could be the reason why even the political environment becomes very hostile for young people, and one of the ways to bring down these conflict is by ensuring that young people and the elders come together and they sit on one table, eat the same meals, live in the same environment, network, collaborate, so that young people are not seen as threats,” she stated.
She added that “It’s like what we saw in Kenya with the Gen Z protests. That was a perfect example of an intergenerational conflict, where the younger ones were felt and heard by the status quo.So that’s what intergenerational conflict can do. Therefore, both young people and elderly people need to come together and have a conversation on pertaining issues”.
“The other aspect I highlighted was the issue to do with the global shifts, the global politics that we are seeing today. With a recent election by the United States, they elected a very conservative party. Germany did the same. The Netherlands did the same. These countries will focus all their resources within their countries. They will not be taking out their money to different parts of the world. They will be keeping their own wealth. That’s why they say making America great again. So the support Africa has been enjoying from these countries is going to reduce significantly more than even 50% so Africa needs to ensure that it strengthens its own institutions.” she emphasized
She believes that the key to Africa’s success lies in talking about the resources we own. “Discussing resources that we have is the way to go, if we don’t do that, nobody else is going to save us. Every other nation is focusing on its people, and if we don’t focus on our own people, we are going to perish,” she added.
“But I don’t think that will happen, because I know and I believe in the power of young people, and that’s why we’re having this generational dialogue, because we have the potential,” she said.
The intergenerational dialogue themed “From Learning to Leading: “Education as a Catalyst to the Advancement of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda” aims to equip young people with essential skills and knowledge to emerge as influential leaders in promoting peace and security within their communities.
This initiative is organized by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in partnership with organizations such as Save the Children, International IDEA, Horn of Africa Youth Network, Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Search for Common Ground, ACCORD, Youth for SDGs Kenya, the National Youth Council of Uganda, and several other vital collaborators.
The dialogue will delve into innovative educational strategies designed to empower youth, especially in regions affected by conflict.
The key topics to be discussed through the three days include; Gender and Education (addressing barriers faced by girls and young women in fragile contexts), Artificial Intelligence and Youth (exploring AI’s implications for education and peacebuilding), Climate Change and Education (Crafting sustainable advocacy strategies to respond to climate challenges), Youth in Emergencies (Highlighting the role of youth in maintaining education and security during crises), and Empowering Youth for Sustainable Peace (Sharing success stories of young leaders in post-conflict societies).
Key objectives are to foster an understanding of the nexus between education, youth, peace, and security; enhance the governance capacity of COMESA youth; mobilize youth leadership in advocating for quality education; cultivate a generation of youth leaders committed to peace, justice, and equality; and generate robust discussions on emerging trends in education, peace, and security.
