ACCRA, Ghana – Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has emphasized the critical role young people can play in bringing about needed transformations in societies around the world, particularly in Africa.

According to a dispatch from Accra, Ghana, where Howard-Taylor spoke at the Global Youth Summit which commenced on Friday, Nov. 22, instead of simply talking about changing the current state of global affairs, societies must acknowledge that empowering young people is a vital first step, and an indispensable aspect of the change that must occur in order to build better communities and societies.

Addressing the summit, the vice president encouraged the youth to sharpen their vision, to seek new knowledge and skills, and to synergize through networks that aim to achieve the consensus objectives of Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.

“Achieving the SDGs, especially on the African continent, would require strong political will and the building of collective partnerships across socioeconomic and political lines,” Howard-Taylor said.

She reminded the audience that while many advanced societies are achieving considerable progress in SDG implementation, Africa lags significantly behind. Among other things, she cites the absence of holistic approaches to the continent’s urgent challenges, including technology, infrastructure, food security, integration, health, and sanitation. But most important was the need for education and vital livelihood skills.

According to a 2017 UNDP report, there are an estimated 420 million Africans between the ages of 15 to 35, with some 10-12 million entering the workforce annually. Many of these young people have nether adequate education nor the skills needed to compete successfully.

“We must accept that the challenges being faced by our world are great – and they can seem daunting. Thankfully, we have all agreed that the solutions to them lie in the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda,” the dispatch quotes Howard-Taylor as saying.

The vice president also admonished young people to “rise up to the challenge, roll up their sleeves and work together to create the Africa of their dreams; as they are the beneficiaries of the present and future they seek.”

She continued: “If the future the youth seek in order to live the world of their dreams is to become a reality, each of you must use your energies, visions, talents, and knowledge to create synergies which would eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities globally.”

Deliberations and agreements reached the summit are expected to feed into important youth-related initiatives across the region, continentally and globally.

Featured photo courtesy of the Office of the Vice President