The Change Africa Conference is championing a momentous mission to provide economic opportunities and empower African youth to lead self-sustaining lives, in the face of unprecedented challenges and the need for young people to thrive.
Its organizers believe that the moment for economic empowerment and liberation of African youth is now, hence collaborative effects to create sustainable job opportunities in different industries must be championed.
Co-Director, Change Africa Conference, Yongama Zigebe, in an interview with the B&FT in Port Elizabeth South Africa, reiterated that economic empowerment is foundational to freedom, enabling individuals to make choices, meet their basic needs, and contribute to their communities’ growth, therefore the conference is geared toward equipping the youth with the necessary assistance to attain this status.
The conference which is slated for 30th October to 3rd November 2023, at the Boardwalk Centre, Port Elizabeth South Africa, has developed a comprehensive programme aimed at revolutionizing the economic landscape for African youth.
Touching on preparations made for the conference so far, he said: “We are expecting at least 600 participants and we have more than 1000 applications already that are being processed by the teams locally and internationally.
Preparations are at a medium-advanced stage from the South African side and as per our organisational timetable, 80 percent of the participants will be drawn from South Africa and the remaining 20 percent will be implored once the international team arrives a week before and the rest when the first delegate lands in Port Elizabeth for the conference.”
Furthermore, he mentioned that the conference will give approval to five projects that will be implemented immediately after the conference to give the youth enough resources to develop their potential and escalate the sustainable development of the continent.
The five thematic areas in which the projects are to be implementable include media, digitization, technology, and cyber security (MDTC); governance, advocacy, education, politics, and public institutionalization (GAEPP); trade, entrepreneurship and agriculture (TEA).
The others are health and sanitation (HS); natural resource Management and Climate Change (NRMCC); and the maritime economy (ME).
A significant aspect of this South Africa-2023 flagship conference is to also assemble Africans in the diaspora and at home on cultural exchange, social protection, social protection discussion, and implementation of some workable projects on the continent.
“Young people are pivotal stakeholders in building Africa and developing its people. Youth are the majority population and they must be given a space and opportunity to work towards continental development as envisaged in the Africa We Want 2063.
“This conference opens that door and provides that table for young people to be decision-makers, network, influence, and interact with policymakers and or developers. Also, implement the 5 projects we want to use as a stepping stone in our developmental agenda,” he concluded.
The Change Africa Conference is opened up to every African on the continent and those in the diaspora who are yearning and burning to change Africa’s socio-economic conditions for the better.
