This conference brought together around 2,500 participants, including more than 100 young entrepreneurs. It is jointly organized by the government of Rwanda, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Rwandan Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, told reporters on Tuesday that the main purpose of this event would be to motivate and support young people in Africa to address the unemployment problem through entrepreneurship and the development of skills.
“We want to empower young Africans to be entrepreneurs, to promote this idea and to become examples in their communities. This summit will also encourage youth in economic development and transformation, ”he added.
Rwanda will host the YouthConnekt African summit from July 19 to 21, with the theme “Realizing the potential of African youth”, bringing together representatives of governments, young people, entrepreneurs, investors, multinationals and start-ups that shape the African tech ecosystem, with the aim of interacting and discussing methods to use technology as an engine of economic growth in Africa.
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, founder and executive director of the Alibaba Group, is expected to be among the main guests at this event, along with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, UNCTAD Secretary General Mukhisa Kituyi, and UNDP Deputy Administrator Abdoulaye Mar Diye.
It is time for young people across Africa to participate in improving Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy through entrepreneurship and job creation, said Abdoulaye Mar Diye.
“The creation of opportunities, the development of entrepreneurship, access to FinTech and management skills programs will shape the future of youth in Africa,” he said.
YouthConnekt Africa is the product of a successful initiative launched in 2012 by the Government of Rwanda and UNDP.
The YouthConnekt initiative is a multi-faceted program that involves young people in national dialogue, and works with them to find or create their own employment or business opportunities.
It is designed to reap the dividends from Africa’s demographics by combining elements of skills development, entrepreneurship, access to jobs and finance, awareness of youth development issues, and advocacy. of youth citizenship.
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