YOUTH DEMAND: a Seat at the Table
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April 2018 - July 2018 www.un.org/africarenewal YOUTH DEMAND: A seat at the table Africa’s young achievers Bringing rural women to the frontline Mission accomplished: Peacekeeping success in Liberia CONTENTS April 2018 - June 2018 | Vol. 32 No. 1 4 SPECIAL FEATURE COVER STORY African youth demand a seat at the table 6 The hashtag revolution gaining ground 8 Nurturing young leaders 10 Interview: Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN youth envoy 12 Music: Nigeria’s popular artistic exports chart a new path 14 Profile: Raphael Obonyo Women promote non-violence during the 2011 elec- tions in Liberia. UNMIL/Emmanuel Tobey 15 Profile: Phumzile Van Damme 16 Profile: William Elong 17 Profile: Eric Kaduru 18 Profile: Gwendolyn Myers 19 Profile: Gogontlejang Phaladi Acting Editor-in-Chief ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Zipporah Musau 20 Interview: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women executive director Acting Managing Editor 22 The UN’s new era of partnership with Africa Kingsley Ighobor 24 Mission accomplished: 15 years of peacekeeping success in Liberia Staff Writer 26 Interview: Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, first force commander, UNMIL Franck Kuwonu 28 Women: Liberia’s guardians of peace Research & Media Liaison 29 Africa could be the next frontier for cryptocurrency Pavithra Rao 30 Cape Town water taps running dry Shu Zhang 32 South African tourism holding steady Yinying Lin DEPARTMENTS Design & Production 3 Watch Paddy D. Ilos, II 35 Books Administration 35 Appointments Dona Joseph Cover photo: Tanzanian youth atcivist, Rahma Mwita Abdallah makes a point at an international Distribution youth forum at the UN headquarters in New York. Africa Renewal/Shu Zhang Atar Markman Africa Renewal (ISSN 2517-9829) is published in supporting organizations. Articles from this English and French by the Strategic Communications magazine may be freely reprinted, with attribution to Division of the United Nations Department of Public the author and to “United Nations Africa Renewal,” Africa Renewal is published by the United Information. Its contents do not necessarily reflect and a copy of the reproduced article would be appre- Nations, New York, on recycled paper. the views of the United Nations or the publication’s ciated. Copyrighted photos may not be reproduced. ©2017 Africa Renewal. All rights reserved. Subscribe to Africa Renewal ISBN: 978-92-1-101391-7 Africa Renewal offers free subscriptions to eISBN: 978-92-1-045128-4 individual readers. Please send your request to www.un.org/africarenewal Address correspondence to: Circulation at the address to the left or by e-mail to The Editor, Africa Renewal [email protected]. Institutional subscriptions are available for thirty-five US dollars, payable by Room S-1032 facebook.com/africarenewal international money order or a cheque in US dollars United Nations, NY 10017-2513, USA, drawn on a US bank, to the “United Nations” and Tel: (212) 963-6857, Fax: (212) 963-4556 sent to Circulation at the address to the left. twitter.com/africarenewal E-mail: [email protected] 2 AfricaRenewal April 2018 - July 2018 AFRICA WATCH QUOTABLES UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Photo/Eskinder UN Women and youth are the pathbreakers and pillars for the realization of the A farmer harvests wheat in Chichaoua Province, Morocco. Alamy/Jake Lyell African Union’s vision for an ‘integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.’ and Agricultural Organization (FAO) ” Morocco: Bience Gawanas, Under-Secretary- representative in Morocco and the current General of the United Nations and Climate change coordinator of the FAO Subregional Office Special Adviser on Africa for North Africa. “It has played a determi- efforts bear fruit No one loses when women see page 34 and girls experience equality By Yinying Lin and empowerment. Paul Kagame , President of Rwanda orocco’s climate change adaptation Mplan, launched in 2008, is now bear- Migration within Africa ing fruit, says the United Nations. We must rid ourselves of The UN’s special rapporteur on the nternational migration, especially from this colonial mentality that right to food, Hilal Elver, says that the plan I Africa to Europe and elsewhere, usually demands we rely on other Maroc vert (PMV) or the Green Morocco gets negative publicity. Can anything people’s currency. Plan has resulted in an increase in agri- good come out of migration? Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa cultural productivity, although she urged mmYes, according to a new report to the country to provide more widespread be launched in May 2018 by the United support for small-scale farmers. Nations Conference on Trade and Devel- If you don’t have a seat at The PMV focuses on moderniz- opment (UNCTAD). Intra-African migra- the table, you will sit on the ing large-scale farms with high added tion, if properly managed, can contribute floor. value, supporting small-scale farms and greatly to the continent’s development by Gogontlejang Phaladi, Botswanan combating rural poverty. Since 2008, boosting trade, generating jobs, promot- youth activist Morocco has invested about 150 billion ing entrepreneurship and innovation and dirhams ($16.3 billion) in more than 700 reducing poverty. We hope that 2018 will be projects on mechanization, irrigation and The Economic Development in Africa the year when Africa makes soil fertilization, while it is expected to Report 2018, subtitled Migration and history because it signed the invest another 20 billion dirhams (US$2.1 Structural Transformation, focuses on African Continental Free billion) over the coming years in 550 com- how host and home countries on the con- Trade Area. munity projects, according to data from tinent can better harness the economic Vera Songwe, the country’s Ministry of Economy and benefits of intra-African migration. executive secre- tary, Economic Finance. According to the UNCTAD report, Commission “The Plan Maroc Vert has created an most migration in Africa occurs within for Africa irreversible momentum without prece- the continent—and yields significant ben- dent,” says Michael Hage, the former Food efits for the continent and its people. AfricaRenewal April 2018 - July 2018 3 African youth are relying on technology and improved leadership and organising skills to mobilise for social change and to demand a seat at the table. In this edition, we explore the factors driving the continent’s emerging young leaders and why they are increasingly influential in society. YOUTH LEADERSHIP African youth participate at an international youth forum at the UN headquarters in New York. Africa Renewal/Shu Zhang African youth demand a seat at the table Voices of young Africans are becoming difficult to ignore BY BUSANI BAFANA new wave is sweeping across And here I am, the youngest MP. And I’m Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon, Zambia, Africa. Elections on the conti- so proud of what I am,” Ms. Oromait told Tanzania, Uganda and others. And the nent are increasingly yielding the UK’s Independent newspaper in an August 2018 presidential election could younger leadership than ever interview. give Zimbabwe’s political leadership a Abefore. From presidents to ministers and In South Africa, Lindiwe Mazibuko, youthful makeover. governors, senators to members of parlia- 37, was elected leader of the opposition Forty-year-old Nelson Chamisa, the ment, Africa’s young people are demanding in parliament in 2011, representing the new leader of the opposition Movement a seat at the political table. Democratic Alliance. She became the first for Democratic Change, is angling to be The youth are using their large num- black woman to hold that position. “There Zimbabwe’s new leader. Were Mr. Chamisa bers to vote in younger leaders or leaders is no prosperity for our continent without to win, he would be one of Africa’s youngest they feel will be sympathetic to their plight. a vibrant, diverse and truly competitive democratically elected presidents. In Uganda, Proscovia Oromait was only politics, founded upon excellence, trans- Sixty percent of Zimbabwe’s 5.3 mil- 19 in 2012 when she became the world’s parency and commitment to the public lion registered voters in the watershed youngest MP, representing Usuk County good,” Ms. Mazibuko said in a TEDxEuston elections are under 40, according to the in the Katakwi District. “What I said when talk in January 2016. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. It is a I was younger was that in years to come, I There are more young leaders coming show of commitment by the youth to decid- will become the president. It’s just been up in parliaments in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote ing a new course of governance after the my dream to become a leader of Uganda. d’Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, leadership of Robert Mugabe. 4 AfricaRenewal April 2018 - July 2018 Mr. Mugabe, 94, was Africa’s oldest adds Mr. Dlamini, who is the chair of Times translates to poorer living conditions, fuels leader until he resigned as president in Media Group of South Africa and head migration out of Africa, and contributes November last year, having ruled for 37 of Massmart, a retailer affiliated with to conflict on the continent itself,” notes years. Walmart in the US. the AfDB. “They [youth] are young entrepre- The AfDB adds that “the desired long- A young voice neurs, innovators, scientists, academics, term outcome is expanded economic In a recent interview with the German radio engineers, professionals. They do not want opportunity for both male and female Afri- station Deutsche Welle, Mr. Chamisa said, aid or charity. They want to unleash their can youth, which leads to improvements in “It is young people who are the movers and full potential,” said Mr. Dlamini, who was other aspects of their lives.” shakers. We want to also see that in politics. named “Young Global Leader” in 2008 by The bank therefore aims to create 25 We want our continent to be painted young. the World Economic Forum, a recognition million jobs through its Jobs for Youth in We want our continent to have a young accorded “higher-performing leaders” who Africa Strategy (2016–2025) and spur eco- voice.” mentor other youth.