The African Youth SDGs Summit is the biggest Sustainable Development Goals summit in Africa. The African continent is a key stakeholder in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals. Youth summits such as this go a long way to offer an opportunity for the youth in Africa to contribute to achieving these goals.
The African Youth SDGs Summit is an annual event that commenced some 4 years ago in 2017. Since its inception on the African continent, it has always been held in Accra, Ghana.
The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
The African Youth SDGs Summit
The 4th African Youth Summit which will be held in Ethiopia in November 2021 will be the first event outside Accra.
The 3rd SDGs Summit was held from 4th to 5th November 2020 in Ghana under the theme “Securing the 2030 commitment beyond the post-covid-19 era”
Since the Youth Summit commenced in 2017, it has served as a high level think tank platform for Africa where a multi-sector coalition of youth, development experts, government and UN entities, NGOs, and the private sector come together to among other things create the Africa that the next generation and today’s youth want Africa to be.
The African Youth SDGs Summit has become a powerful force, championing Africa’s hopes and aspirations for the future today.
The summit has always been a pan-African audience for building useful networks, connections and for learning through thought-provoking and constructive conferences, debates, and discussions by Africa’s youth on issues surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The specific objectives of the AY SDGs Summit
The four key objectives that drive the annual African Youth SDGs Summit are as follows.
a. To improve awareness and knowledge – The youth summit is organized to help the youth to understand the SDGs with the hope that, once the youth appreciate the issues, they will be better placed to help in the holistic implementation and attainment of the 17 goals.
b. The African Youth SDGs Summit offers an opportunity to discuss the mechanisms and strategies that can be used to help achieve the development goals. Through these discussions, localized strategies, cooperations, and efforts can be harnessed to help realize the objectives. This will also help ensure that the youth take ownership of efforts and contributions to achieving these goals.
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c. If the world and for that matter, Africa is to make any meaningful headways towards meeting the SDGs targets set for 2030, it requires developing and building networks and partnerships for success. In this light, the African youth can use the summit 2021 as a solid pedestal for developing new networks and also strengthen existing youth networks which will serve as a strategic forward-looking guide for monitoring and implementing the SDGs on the African continent.
d. In the long run, an empowered youth dedicated to ensuring the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals will create the needed awareness across Africa and for the new generation. This can provide an avenue through which advocacy for effective participation of Africa through its youth is realized. The extent of the effect of SDG programs on Africans and what can be done will be more appreciated if the youth and children of today are educated and enlightened on it as well as their role in our quest to save the world and contribute to the success story of Africa.
Africa’s youth cannot wait for the 4th African Youth SDGs Summit to be held in Ethiopia.
Source: Ghanaeducation.org