According to speakers at a youth forum held on the side-lines of the ongoing All African games, gaining such skills would also help them unlock opportunities when they migrate through regular means.

The speakers also urged the youth to leverage trade opportuni­ties, including the African Conti­nental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the free movement protocol of the African Union (AU) to promote their businesses.

The AfCFTA Liaison for In­ternational Trade Centre, Regina Hammond; the AU Free Move­ment of Persons Lead at the AU Commission, Dr Nancy Adossi; the Regional Specialist, AfCFTA, Dr Ify Ogo, and an entrepreneur, Ferdinand Adimefe, were the speakers at the event.
    

Organised by the AU and facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM Ghana), the forum held on Sunday discussed how enhanced mobility contributed to individual empow­erment, socio-economic growth, and overall continental develop­ment.

Ms Hammond said AFCFTA had facilitated trade on the African continent, but issues, including tariffs and non-tariffs measures, had impacted mobility of persons both positively and negatively.

Dr Adossi said with the African youth bulge estimated to be one billion by 2026, the Agenda 2026 of the AU, a 50-year strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent, was key to advance youth mobility and exchange of skills and ideas on the continent.

Dr Ogounder underscored the importance of mobility schemes, such as visa mobility schemes, which had allowed for the move­ment of individuals with different skills set on the continent of Africa.

For Mr Adimefe, the lack of educational institutions in Africa to provide the youth with the in­novative skills needed to thrive as an entrepreneur and mind-set of Africans in terms of trading on the continent was worrying.

He, therefore, encouraged the youth to change their mind-set and unite to enhance trade intercon­nectedness to foster the rapid socio-economic development.

The Director of the AU Wom­en, Gender and Youth Directorate, Prudence Ngwenya, in her opening address, urged the youth to take advantage of AU flagship pro­grammes and initiatives.

“You are the custodian of your own development. You need to be at the forefront and help us to bet­ter understand and support you,” She added.

The Director, IOM, Special Liaison Office to the AU Com­mission, Ms Mariama Cisse, said mobility was important because it created pathway for growth and development, and interconnected and integrated continent.

Africa, she said, had a collec­tive responsibility of harnessing the potential of the youth, which formed approximately 60 per cent of the continent’s population.

Ms Cisse noted that sport served as a catalyst unity, shared identity and purpose, but it was being used as an exploitative tool for traffick­ing in persons, hence, the need to “neutralise this unnerving ecosys­tem.”