TheCable

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti, will deliver the keynote address at the maiden symposium organised by Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association of Nigeria (HKSAAN).

In a statement, Frank Nweke, president of HKSAAN, said the maiden edition of the Africa policy dialogue series organised the association on December 11.

Fayemi, who is also the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), will speak on the theme ‘Harnessing Africa’s Demographic Dividend for Peace, Security and Productivity through Investments in Youth’.

According to Nweke, the theme of the symposium was borne out of the need to address the myriad challenges Nigerian youths are facing.

Nweke, a former minister of information and communication, said the interactions at the event will seek answers to the adverse conditions of unemployment, underemployment and lack of access to education, healthcare, skills development and opportunities for Africa’s young population.

He said Africa’s teeming youth population could be a significant source of productivity and growth if properly harnessed and could conversely have grave implications for peace and security due to high unemployment, lack of educational opportunities and high rates of poverty.

“From the recent crisis in Nigeria as well as previous crises in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, it has become clear that a youth population without access to opportunities can lead to political instability or even conflict,” he said.

“Whether Africa’s youth bulge will be an advantage or a source of instability will depend on the extent to which African governments implement sound policies that will support growth in sectors that can absorb the growing youth population such as agriculture and manufacturing.

“It is also vital that these policy measures enable greater investments in human capital and skills development for the youths in order to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.”