Celebration of Africa Youth Day 

Anna Mamedova

Africa and Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defense. 

On November 1, 2021, countries across the African continent celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the Africa Youth Day, a yearly commemoration proclaimed during the adoption of the African Youth Charter in 2006, dedicated to promoting youths as key actors for Africa's socio-economic growth. 

Africa is the youngest continent on the planet, with nearly 60 (sixty) percent of its 1.34 billion population (2020) under the age of 25 (twenty-five). Hence, amplifying the voices of young people and placing youths at the forefront of the continent's development is crucial for the future of African society. 

On the Africa Youth Day occasion, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, made a statement emphasizing the importance of youth mobilization in building a "resilient and robust future" for the African continent. As per the 2021 theme Defining The Future Today: Youth-Led Solutions For Building The Africa We Want, Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat urged Africa's young generation to bring forward innovative, sustainable, long-term solutions to the challenges that the continent is currently facing, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its drastic effects on healthcare, economy, employment, and education. In addition, Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat announced the appointment of the AU's new Envoy for Youth, Chido Cleopatra Mpemba, whose profound knowledge of youths' struggles is set to contribute to the successful enactment of AU's programs and policies targeting young people. Lastly, Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat encouraged AU's member states to prioritize and expand investments into youth-led initiatives, engage youth participation in decision-making, and promote a future full of "aspiration, hope, [and] dignity." 

Sources and further reading: 

Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the Occasion of Africa Youth Day, African Union, 1 November 2021, https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/statement-of-the-chairperson-of-the-african-union-commission-on-the-occasion-of-africa-youth-day?lang=en and https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20211101/statement-chairperson-occasion-africa-youth-day

African Youth Charter, African Union, 2006, https://au.int/en/treaties/african-youth-charter 

Africa Youth Day Celebration 2021, the National Youth Authority Ghana, 1 November 2021, http://www.nya.gov.gh/africa-youth-day-2021 

Africa’s youth: Action needed now to support the continent’s greatest asset, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, 2020, https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/sites/default/files/2020-08/international-youth-day-research-brief.pdf 

Population of Africa, Worldometer, 2021, https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/africa-population/