The YouthConnekt Africa Summit, which was first held in Kigali in 2017, has since expanded to become Africa's largest annual gathering that brings together young people from all over the continent and beyond with institutions from the public, private, and development sectors to engage, discuss and accelerate youth empowerment initiatives on a continental scale.
The 5th edition of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit is hosted by the Government of the Republic of Rwanda in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This summit aims to deliver even more strongly this year by building on its special convening power, rich conversations, and impact on policies and investments made for ongoing youth development across the continent. The objective of this year's summit, which was motivated by the African Union's theme for the year, is strengthening the fortitude of African youth in order to hasten the continent's socioeconomic and human capital development. Over 9,000 youths from across the continent, including youth innovators, entrepreneurs, leaders and government heads, were in attendance.
The VIP guests in attendance included H.E, The President of the Republic of Rwanda- Paul Kagame, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, Rigathi Gachagua; the Minister of Youth and Culture, Rwanda, Honourable Rosemary Mbabazi and the UNDP Country Representative, Mr Max Gomera.
In Africa today, there are more than 400 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35, making it the continent with the most youthful population in the world. With such a young population, more resources need to be invested in social and economic development to raise African countries' development index. Therefore, it is critical that this forum, where African youth can interact to address issues like youth unemployment, environmental degradation, climate change, youth in leadership, and a general lack of chances, be expanded.
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