‘Africa should utilise its youth dividend’

Wallace Ruzvidzo

Herald Reporter

AFRICA should use its youth dividend to drive the continent’s economic growth and development, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the just-ended Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, Prof Murwira said discussions had centred around the need for Africa to develop faster.

“The summit mainly focused on taking Africa forward. As you know, Africa has the youth dividend and by 2050, Africa is predicted to have one in four people in the world.

“So about 25 percent of the world’s population will be in Africa and most of it will be youthful. And then this is Africa moving forward in terms of the demographic dividend, but that demographic dividend has to be used for economic development, and energy is a huge component of this ambition as we move towards Vision Agenda 2063,” he said.

Prof Murwira said the need for the international financial architecture to be positioned in a way that favours the African continent was also prominently discussed.

“As you know, the current international financial architecture is not in favour of Africa, and when all these things were done, basically, the international financial architecture, it was done in 1944, 1945, Africa, most of it was a colony by then, and it is important that the international financial architecture reflects the current realities of the 21st century, where Africa is independent and moving forward,” he said.

Africa also reaffirmed its position on the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying “there is no justice in leaving Africa out of the decisions that affect Africa”.

“So it is very important as we move forward that these issues are taken as primary in terms of focus.

“So we had quite a very, very, very productive, philosophically productive meetings, and we believe that if it’s taken to the letter, we expect good results if Africa is continuing to speak in this direction,” said Prof Murwira.

He reiterated President Mnangagwa’s consistent sentiments that Africa’s destiny should be in its own hands and his philosophy that nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.

“It’s excellent that President Mnangagwa always says a country is built by its own people.

“The same philosophy, the same doctrine has to be applied to Africa.

“Africa takes responsibility of its development. “Africa takes responsibility of its security, Africa takes responsibility of its financial architecture,” said Prof Murwira.

The Foreign Minister said Zimbabwe’s position was “always to support the African position”.

“So it is very important that these themes, these issues, were the ones that were being discussed,” said Prof Murwira.

Several Heads of State and Government attended the summit which was preceded by a business forum.