Nairobi, Kenya – President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, has emphasized the importance of empowering Africa’s youth, stating that the continent’s future depends on its young population.
Speaking at a two-day African Union (AU) retreat in Nairobi, Kenya, where leaders gathered to strategize on revitalizing the union, President Mahama highlighted a critical demographic reality: 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25.
“Africa’s future lies in its youth. Over 60% of our population is under the age of 25, and yet their voices are largely absent in policy making,” he said.
The President expressed concern about the underrepresentation of young people in policymaking and called for institutional frameworks to empower both the youth and women to take leadership roles across all levels of governance.
He pointed to Ghana’s historic achievement of electing its first female Vice President as a step in the right direction.
“We must institutionalize frameworks that empower our young people and our women to lead at all levels of governance, and I’m happy to report that in the last election, for the first time in Ghana’s history, we elected a woman as our vice president,” he stated.
President Mahama underscored the pivotal role of young Africans, describing their energy, creativity, and vision as essential for building the Africa everyone aspires to achieve.
“The energy of our youth, creativity, and vision are the drivers of the Africa that we all seek to build,” he noted.
The retreat, which brought together leaders from all AU member states, aimed to create actionable strategies to make Africa more self-reliant while improving the standard of living for its people.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
