June 27, 2002—As G-8 leaders concluded the first day of their summit in Canada, the development needs and aspirations of Africa were a prominent feature of their discussions. At the same time here in Washington, a similar high-level examination of Africa’s needs also took place, bringing together in a remarkable video caucus, senior African policymakers, ambassadors, World Bank senior managers and young people from Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and nine other countries, health specialists from the United Nations, the World Bank, and the NGO community, and many other people. The issue that brought them together across borders and continents was Adolescent Health and Development in Africa, or as Julia Mepha, a  young woman from South Africa put it, “the challenge to help children and young people seek opportunity for themselves, so that they can believe in themselves and  make their way in life.”
 
The reason for the videoconference was made plain by speaker after speaker who described the lives of young Africans today, and the need to protect their physical and emotional well-being and cherish their ambitions. “We must invest in young people in Africa because I fear their concerns are disappearing off the world’s radar screen and they are falling through the cracks, “ says Khama Rogo, a Lead Reproductive Health Specialist in the Africa Region, who, together with his colleague, Elizabeth Lule, Population and Reproductive Health Advisor moderated the four hour video session cosponsored by the Africa Region, WBI and the Human Development Network.

What are the Challenges and Opportunities for Young People in Africa Today?

210 million Africans—one-third of the population--are between the ages of 10 and 24. By 2025, more than one of every five young people in the developing world—some 380 million people—will live in sub-Saharan Africa (UN Pop Division 2002). African youth are increasingly concentrated in cities, making this the most urbanized generation in history. In Africa, as elsewhere around the world, puberty is occurring earlier and the age of marriage rising. This expanded 'bio-social gap' means that young people are facing a longer period of time during which they are sexually mature and may be sexually active before marriage. This phenomenon is new to most traditional cultures and has brought new and unfamiliar challenges.

Moreover African youngsters are growing up in a time of both heightened peril and unprecedented opportunity. More than ever before, adolescents—particularly those in cities—are connected to the world at large through communication, information, and transportation technologies. Yet, the cycle of poverty, inadequate education and work opportunities, and civil unrest stunts the development of too many millions of young people.

African youth face a number of threats to their health:

· Over 50 percent of the new HIV infections in Africa are to young people, with girls disproportionately affected 

· Many millions of youth suffer from other sexually transmitted infections, which can leave young women infertile and thus often stigmatized by their communities and families

· Teen mothers are twice as likely as older women to die of pregnancy-related causes, and their own children are at higher risk of illness and death, largely because of widespread nutritional deficiencies such as anemia.

· Some 2 million African girls undergo female genital mutilation each year

· Millions of African youth die tragically or suffer because of other preventable health hazards such as road accidents, smoking, substance abuse, suicide, and infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

· Political and ethnic violence disrupts the lives of many youth, either by drawing them into the fighting or by leaving them bereft of hope.

As they struggle to stay healthy, most adolescents in Africa have limited opportunities for formal education, and as such, they face an uphill battle to gain the skills and experience they need to compete in the job market. In part because many youth fail to acquire the skills needed either to compete in the job market or otherwise make a living through self-employment, youth tend to be poorer than the rest of the population. Poverty and inadequate health systems compound the vulnerability of adolescents to sickness, and possible death.

Despite their vulnerability to dangers from many different corners, the young Africans who took part in the videoconference were anything but pessimistic. From South Africa, Julia Mepha, representing Love Life, spoke about being abused as a teenager, of being terrified and confused about where to turn, and of seeing many of her friends becoming teenage mothers, and yet she described herself as positive and inspired by the example of other women, especially those who have become leaders in their communities. “ I know we are special as young people, we are beautiful, and given the right opportunities, we can go far in life, and inspire everyone around us.” Specioza Kazibwe, Vice President for Uganda shared her country’s successful efforts to reduce and reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic among young people.
 
One of the opportunities that young Africans now have access to in finding the health and economic information they need to make their way in life is the Internet with its access to a global storehouse of new ideas and knowledge. WBI Vice President Frannie Leautier talked about how in Mauritania, some 70 percent of the country’s girls described how the Internet was ‘a source of liberation for them, a reliable source of getting information about reproductive health and other concerns that they could not get from their own mothers.”  Leautier went on to cite the case of a young woman who said that the Internet gave her a sense of personal liberty that she could not find in her own life because of cultural restrictions that would bar young women from going wherever they wish.” On-line we can go and get knowledge wherever we want and that makes us free.” 

Jo Ritzen, Vice President for Human Development talked about  the importance of being results oriented and accountability. In his closing remarks, Rogo talked about how far we have come in the last decade of recognizing the importance of youth health and development in Africa. He emphasized the need to invest in education, health,  lifeskills, and employment opportunities for youth. The challenge is how to scale up programs and accelerate youth participation in the global economy. He adds “ How can we expect to make a better future for our societies unless we actively build up the young people of today, and allow them to shine as tomorrow’s healthy, informed, and effective citizens.”

Callisto Madavo, World Bank Vice President for Africa confirmed the Bank’s commitment to address the needs of youth, and to keep this as a priority issue in policy dialogue with development partners and country leaders.

For more information, see:

Africa at the Group of Eight Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa: Progress, Prospects, and Policy Implications (485K PDF)

Khama Rogo, a Lead Reproductive Health Specialist in the Africa Region, and co-organizer of the video conference 

Elizabeth Lule, Population and Reproductive Health Advisor moderated the four hour video session 

Professor Gibril Aminu, Ambassador of Nigeria speaks on the plight of Nigerian youth 

WBI Vice President Frannie Leautier talked about how in Mauritania, some 70 percent of the country's girls described how the Internet was 'a source of liberation for them, a reliable source of getting information about reproductive health and other concerns that they could not get from their own mothers."