By providing opportunities to 300 million young people by 2030, as part of the 1 Million Next Level programme, the President of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Museveni, has pledged to reach over 1 million young people in Uganda each year.
Many Heads of State have joined this commitment as a result of the excellent pace and tone set by this vow.
“The Government of Uganda places a high priority on youth development.
As a first start and as part of our commitment to the AUC’s 1 Million Next Level project, I would like to say that we will collaborate with all relevant sectors to advance youth development and empower 1 million young people annually.
The third African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Youth Consultation Symposium was held in Kampala, Uganda, from July 5–9, 2022. The President made a statement at the high-level opening ceremony.
In order to improve the implementation of the goals of the South-South triangle collaboration, the symposium brought together more than 800 young people from around the continent to examine the role of youth in the achievement of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 and related national aspirations.
The 1 Million by 2021 effort was replaced with the 1 Million Next Level initiative, which is a continental programme. The achievement of Agenda 2063, specifically Aspiration 6: “An Africa Whose Development is People Driven, Relying on the Potential Offered by African People, Particularly its Women and Youth, and Caring for Children,” is in line with African Union Youth Charter Article 11 which called for equal participation of young people in all spheres.
The 1million Next Level programme aims to provide opportunities for over 300 million African youth in the five priority areas of impact, namely: education, employment, entrepreneurship, engagement, and health and wellbeing (4Es and H), as well as targeted efforts to unleash the potential of youth on the entire continent.
The President’s vow is unprecedented and a welcome move toward improving the lives of Africa’s youth, according to Ms. Prudence Ngwenya, Acting Director of the Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate at the AUC.
The African Union will keep collaborating with the Ugandan government to make sure that youth are empowered and inspired to effect change.
She made these views during the third African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Young Consultation Symposium.
“Young people are intelligent, creative, and innovative, and these are the catalytic qualities the continent requires to fully unlock the potential of Africa’s youth,” she remarked.
The APRM gave youth mainstreaming top priority as a crucial component for creating secure, successful, and self-sustaining African economies.
Thus, the third APRM Youth Symposium served as an effective forum for discussions on governance and the development of Africa among young people.
The Women and Youth Directorate of the AU organised a number of seminars to empower and involve young people in governance and development procedures in conjunction with the symposium.
These were based on the 1 Million Next Level initiative’s 4Es and H and included;
“Leveraging the 1 Million Next Level Initiative to unleash the potential of Youth,” an intergenerational discussion,
a youth gathering to discuss improving education in Africa,
a discussion with youngsters on promoting the Bingwa Initiative,
“You Are Not Alone: Flattening the Curve of the Shadow Pandemic,” an Egumeni Session on violence against women and girls, was held.
AU Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI) 2030 Strategy youth validation session,
A discussion on volunteering as a route to employability