The Prosperity of Africa's Youth Depends On the Adoption of a Continental Agenda that Turns Challenges into Opportunities
Speaking at the opening of the Second Edition of the Pan-African Parliament’s Youth Dialogue, organized by the Pan-African Parliament and hosted by the Moroccan Parliament, the Speaker of the House of Councilors, Hon. Ennam Mayara explained that the world is undergoing accelerated changes that require the intensification of efforts to keep up with the changes imposed by the new world order.
In the same respect, the Speaker of the House of Councilors noted that Africa has the opportunities and capabilities to create a new framework of continental development that ensures fair and equitable continental economic transformations, adding that the three projects must be the basis for the future of the Continent, including the Africa Free-Trade Agreement, that would enable African enterprises to access a market of more than 1,3 billion consumers, contribute to development, and create opportunities for youth.
The second project would be related to the fourth industrial revolution, which would be a chance to benefit from the capabilities of African youth in terms of innovation, and promote the creation of wealth and opportunities through innovative start-ups. As for the third project, Hon. Mayara noted that it is related to emergence of new regional value chains that would progressively replace the pre-COVID19 global value chain.
On the same occasion, Hon. Mayara stressed the necessity of reinforcing logistical links between countries at the maritime and air levels, in order to facilitate the exchange of goods, advance commercials flows, and increase the funds to support the installation of activities that create added value and job opportunities for youth.
The Speaker of the House of Councilors also underscored that these projects are historical opportunities to ensure sustainable development and reduce the development with the North countries, calling parliamentarians to innovate methods based on efficiency and quality, which would have a direct impact on African citizens.
Besides, Hon. Mayara noted the imperative of mobilizing efforts and resources to reinforce food sovereignty and security in the continent, in addition to working on the implementation of a new continental method to reinforce energy and health sovereignty.
He also affirmed that the question of food security is today the most important challenge to the continent, given the context of successive pandemic crisis, geostrategic tensions in several world regions, and the climate change challenges.
After citing the Royal speech addressed the Summit of Heads of States and Governments on drought and sustainable management of territories in May 9, 2022, Hon. Mayara highlighted the importance of launching a new generation of continental parliamentary initiatives to accompany the ambition of ending famine and ensure the food security and sovereignty of the continent via the adoption of innovative legislation and management of mutual and national strategic supplies.
The Speaker of the House of Councilors concluded his intervention by calling for reflection on the creation of a continental parliamentary mechanism for the food sovereignty at the level of Pan-African Parliament, which would form an institutional platform to accompany the continental projects in the area of food security, support the continental initiatives of food production, and provide fertilizers and the necessary technologies to reach an adequate food production to ensure a sustainable food security that would benefit the future generations of the continent, according to orientations of the 2030 SDGs and the African Union’s 2063 Agenda.
(Translated and adapted from MAP)