More than 150 Youths from the Eastern African region and beyond recently engaged in impactful conversations with policy makers, academicians and civil society organisations during the 3rd Intergenerational Dialogue held in Kampala, Uganda.
The three-day event from 12 – 14 November 2024 marked a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to enhance youth participation in key sectors of society that directly affect their well-being.
With the theme: ‘From Learning to Leading: Education as a Catalyst for the Advancement of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda’’ the participants discussions brought out causes of young people being left out and proposals were made on how this situation could be improved.
The theme was in recognition of this year 2024 being designated as the Year of Education in Africa and appreciating the unique opportunity for the African Union and COMESA to galvanise Member States, youths and partners towards achieving education targets for youth and to rethink educational models and skills development necessary for addressing youth-oriented peace and security issues.
Speaking when he officially opened the Dialogue, Rt. Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda, former Prime Minister of Uganda and member of the COMESA Committee of Elders, inspired the young attendees to be catalysts for the change they wish to see.
“I am happy to see that as COMESA marks its 30 years anniversary this year, it has continued to build capacity for the young people who make up over 70 percent of its over 600m people,” Hon. Rugunda said.
He described the Dialogue as mutually beneficial for both the young and older generation while urging them to avoid vices that promote division and strife in the Member States.
He encouraged to use the latest technologies such as AI to gain more knowledge and develop solutions in value addition in order to move Africa from exporting raw materials, deepen intra-Africa trade and re-negotiation better terms of trade with the developed world.
COMESA’s Conflict Early Warning Expert Mr Raymond Kitevu reiterated the organisation’s commitment to create a platform for the youth, policy makers and civil society organisations to interact more often and address matters that affect young people.
At the end of the Dialogue, an Outcome Document was developed to solidify partnerships and align with existing education, peace and security strategies and plans.
Other Speakers included Dr Shako Kijala who represented the partners, Ms Angel Mbuthia Chairperson of the COMESA Youth Advisory Panel (COMYAP) and Mr Jacob Eyeru from the National Youth Council of Uganda.
To close the Dialogue, Uganda’s Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs Hon. Dr Balaam Barugahara addressed the participants and called for quality education that equips youths with necessary skills in governance, technology, entrepreneurship and conflict resolutions as essential to sustainable peace in the region.
He added that inclusive education is key to lasting peace and Uganda is committed to addressing all inequalities that affect youth and women.
The 3rd IGD was hosted by COMESA in partnership with Save the Children, International IDEA, the Horn of Africa Youth Network, the Institute of Security Studies, the Africa Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes and the Country Structural Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience programme.