Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged countries within the Great Lakes region to prioritise creation of jobs for the millions of unemployed youth.
Speaking yesterday on the last day of the International Conference on the Great Lakes region in Nairobi, Uhuru said countries in the region have a huge asset of talented and energetic youth, whose abilities can be tapped to ensure significant economic and social development of the region.
"What is called for from each of us in a position to make decisions and policies in these matters is creativity and a willingness to learn from what works elsewhere. Let us learn from each other to improve the lives of our young people," he said.
He blamed the persistent unemployment issue on decades of under-investment in developing the skills and talents of youth, leaving them ill-equipped to meet demands of the growing economy.
President Kenyatta said despite the region's significant growth, countries are yet to generate enough jobs to match the number of young entrants into the job markets.
"Our incomplete understanding of the nature and structure of youth unemployment in Africa over the past decade is a major challenge in tackling the problem," he said.
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni said youth unemployment should be tackled holistically instead of it being dealt as an isolated issue, adding that it is not just a problem facing the youth demographic, but instead termed it a general problem that needs to be tackled by expanding economies.
He said initiatives such as establishing funds to lend out money to youth are noble but will not have much impact if there is no general expansion of the economy. Museveni said countries must reduce the cost of doing business and improve infrastructure to attract investors.
"Once the different sectors of the economy have been expanded such as agriculture and ICT, jobs will be automatically generated for everyone including the youth," he said.
Executive Secretary of the ICGLR Ntumba Lwaba said youth unemployment is a direct threat to the security and stability of the region since youth are lured by criminal groups.
UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region Mary Robinson said 34 per cent of youth in the region, including the educated and highly skilled, remain unemployed. Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed said youth are a huge asset of innovation and have potential to drive the economies of the region.
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