Ghana will, from Wednesday October 20 to October 22, host the fourth edition of the 2021 African Youth Connect Summit, according to Pius Enam Hadzide, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA).
At a press conference yesterday in Accra, Mr Hadzide disclosed that about 17000 participants from some 24 countries are expected to participate in the summit, out of which about 2000 will gather physically in Accra. He added that some 15,000 others are also expected to register and connect virtually for the summit.
The summit is being organised by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Youth Authority, and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as other partners across Africa.
According to Mr Hadzide, the Africa Youth Connect summit is to serve as a platform aimed at connecting African youth for socio-economic transformation.
It also seeks to empower young people by enhancing their knowledge, experiences and skills whilst investing in their ideas, innovations and initiatives.
According to the NYA CEO, the summit has grown to a network of 24 African countries at the moment, and still counting, with long-term sponsors and partners including the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Development Programme.
He said Ghana is hosting the programme for the first time ever since the inception of the summit.
“The first three editions of the summit were held in Rwanda. Participation, as we understand, has grown from about 2,000 participants at the inaugural summit to over 12,000 participants at the moment,” he said.
The summit will dwell on some key objectives such as a high-level intergenerational dialogue for Africa’s youth.
The youth will engage opinion leaders, policy-makers and decision-makers in steering Africa’s next level of growth.
The opening ceremony will be attended by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as well as his counterpart from Rwanda and Ministers of Youth from about 24 African countries.
