President John Dramani Mahama has underscored the need for member states of the Africa Union (AU) to give the youth and women the opportunity in leadership roles at all levels.
He said it was regrettable that the youth constitute the bulk of the continent’s population, yet underrepresented at the decision-making table.
“Africa’s future lies in its youth. Over 60 per cent of our population is under the age of 25 and yet their voices are largely absent in policy making,” President Mahama said at the opening session of the retreat on the Implementation of Institutional Reforms of the AU in Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday.
“We must institutionalise a framework that empowers our young people and our women to lead at all levels of governance.
“The energy of our youth, their creativity and vision are the drivers of the Africa we all seek to build,” he added.
The retreat seeks to address key issues confronting the continent including terrorism, financing, and trade among others.
According to President Mahama, the continental body’s over reliance on external funding affects its ability to set its own agenda and prosecute same.
In his view, the need for the AU to be financially independent was non-negotiable if it were to achieve the vision of its founding fathers.
To this end, President Mahama called for the urgent implementation of the Kigali Decision on Financing the Union, a 2016 resolution adopted by African Union Heads of States and Governments at the AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
“Your excellences, one of the pillars of reforms is AU’s financial autonomy. The over-reliance on external partners for funding compromises the organisation’s independence for funding and ability to set its own agenda. The implementation of the Kigali decision on financing the union must be expedited,” he stated.
The African Continental Free Trade Area, headquartered in Accra, President Mahama said sets the foundation for a single African market but much work remains to be done.
“We must address the barriers to trade, harmonise regulatory framework and invest in infrastructure to unlock the potential of intra Africa trade,” he encouraged.
The AU, he said, must champion technological innovation and digital transformation as catalyst for economic growth and inclusion.
“The African payment systems that allows us to pay seamlessly for goods traded between our countries must be expedited so that we can have a system of exchange.
“None of these reforms would succeed without committed leadership at all levels of the AU. We as heads of states and governments have a duty to lead by example to prioritise the collective good of our people over our parochial interests and to act decisively in the interest of our continent,” he stated.
