ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 30, 2016/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
The Department of Human Resources, Sciences and Technology (HRST) today 30th March 2016 convened a review of the decade plan of action and youth mainstreaming in the continent. This is with an aim of tracking the progress so far of the implementation of Decade Plan of Action (DPoA) and chart the course for the remaining decade onwards. The DPoA was developed so as to ensure the implementation of the African Youth Charter. It is to serve as a response to the need for strengthened national capacities to deliver more effectively on youth empowerment and development.
During the opening of the validation meeting for the DPoA, the Commissioner of Human Resource, Science and Technology (HRST), H.E Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga stated that the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union declared the year 2009 to 2018 as the decade on youth development in Africa. He underscored that the review was also necessary to take account of emerging issues including the adoption of Agenda 2063. The HRST department engaged a consultant to look into the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and coherence in the delivery of the overall AUC’s youth divisions program and recommend ways in which the Youth Division may increase its effectiveness of the program delivery in the remaining part of the decade and further on. A comprehensive document on this review shall be presented during the Banjul+10 commemoration in May 2016.
Giving her introductory remarks Dr. Beatrice Njenga, Acting Head of the Youth Division, underscored the urgent need to establish a youth friendly African Union Commission as a key performance indicator to strengthen the institutional capacity and significantly meet the resource requirement needed to promote, support and finance the youth development and empowerment in the continent. She added that youth mainstreaming is thus a key mandate to be achieved and this document provides the necessary guidance and structure towards accomplishing that.
Mr. Victor Mensah, Consultant with the Centre for Youth Development Services (CYDS), elaborated on the methodology used in the assignment which included questionnaires distributed online to AUC, Regional Economic Committees (RECs), private sector, government officials, Youth Leaders and Youths across the continent. He further expressed the need for changes to be made for the successful implementation of the bridge work plan specifically ensuring gender parity. Awareness should also be raised on the African Youth Charter to ensure effective results. It is also recommended that AUC-Youth Division uses Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) approach to enable stakeholders actively contribute to the process. The consultant suggested that the planning for implementation should begin immediately.
