Speaking during a recent African Youth Ministers consultative meeting on Covid-19, Vera Songwe, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said that tackling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic effectively to ensure Africa grows back and builds back better in the aftermath of Covid-19 requires boldness never before seen on the continent.
Vera Songwe, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
Quoting the late American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., Songwe said Africa needs to remain awake and help find solutions to the pandemic as restrictions put in place to curtail the virus begin to be eased.
“This is a time to be bold. It is a time when we need to come together to ask if we are responding to the call of the youth,” she said.
Adjust to new ideas, remain vigilant
“Today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. No time ever in our history have we been at such a crossroads where we have both a health pandemic and an economic recession on the continent.”
Songwe said 51% of Africa’s growth is in the services sector and requires technology, raising the need for member states to move with speed to address crippling internet issues across the continent.
“We cannot grow back and build back better without enough access to technology for our youth who are the innovators. They are the ones who will find the solutions for tomorrow for us. My plea to you as ministers of youth is please join us, work with us and together let us implement the African Digital Transformation Strategy and increase access, affordability, stability and reliability of the internet system so that many other things can begin to fall into place,” she said.
Participation in decision-making processes
Speaking during a recent African Youth Ministers consultative meeting on Covid-19, Vera Songwe, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said that tackling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic effectively to ensure Africa grows back and builds back better in the aftermath of Covid-19 requires boldness never before seen on the continent.
Vera Songwe, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
Quoting the late American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., Songwe said Africa needs to remain awake and help find solutions to the pandemic as restrictions put in place to curtail the virus begin to be eased.
“This is a time to be bold. It is a time when we need to come together to ask if we are responding to the call of the youth,” she said.
“Today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. No time ever in our history have we been at such a crossroads where we have both a health pandemic and an economic recession on the continent.”
Songwe said 51% of Africa’s growth is in the services sector and requires technology, raising the need for member states to move with speed to address crippling internet issues across the continent.
“We cannot grow back and build back better without enough access to technology for our youth who are the innovators. They are the ones who will find the solutions for tomorrow for us. My plea to you as ministers of youth is please join us, work with us and together let us implement the African Digital Transformation Strategy and increase access, affordability, stability and reliability of the internet system so that many other things can begin to fall into place,” she said.
These are challenging times for Africa and the rest of our global village...
Songwe said recent consultations with African youth had revealed clearly their hunger and thirst to participate in decision-making processes so they can help bring change through innovation.
“But they need our institutions to come along and to respond to them and to ensure that together we can deliver this future that we have so long wanted – an Africa that we want,” she said.
Songwe implored the youth ministers to work with their colleagues in ICT and education ministries to ensure curricula is in line with the job market, inequalities in access to school are removed, and that broadband internet access is available for all.
“The cost of internet across Africa is very high. It cannot be what creates the jobs for our youth. We need to be able to provide the youth with access to affordable, accessible and reliable technology that works,” she said.
Songwe said recent consultations with African youth had revealed clearly their hunger and thirst to participate in decision-making processes so they can help bring change through innovation.
“But they need our institutions to come along and to respond to them and to ensure that together we can deliver this future that we have so long wanted – an Africa that we want,” she said.
Songwe implored the youth ministers to work with their colleagues in ICT and education ministries to ensure curricula is in line with the job market, inequalities in access to school are removed, and that broadband internet access is available for all.
“The cost of internet across Africa is very high. It cannot be what creates the jobs for our youth. We need to be able to provide the youth with access to affordable, accessible and reliable technology that works,” she said.
