Minster for youth and sports, Mustapha Ussif, has noted that the decision to set up a youth pavilion is a good one and will help the youth get to where they need to be.
He made this statement at the opening ceremony of the Youth Pavilion organised by the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate of the African Union Commission (AUC).
“The concept of this Youth Pavilion, I must say ,is a step in the right direction. In this era of championing the course of young people towards economic growth and national development, the youth of every country play a very critical role as they are recognised as a strategic asset for nation-building and development” he said.
He believes that, the Youth Pavilion will serve as an incubator for various youth related activities, shared experiences, foster empowerment and give young people a platform to network and tap into other opportunities yet to be explored.
“Rather than the gold, oil and other precious minerals, we considers the youth as the greatest resource of the Continent. Thus, this should be harnessed through structured and coordinated frameworks to build them up to be resilient, innovative, and transformational in personal, national and African growth” he emphasized.
He added that this is why the government, as part of its commitment to the youth, continually puts in place measures and initiatives to improve the plight of the young people and promote their over-all well-being.
“Thus, over the years, the country together with its key stakeholders and development partners, have implemented series of interventions targeted at youth empowerment, cohesion and development”.
He firmly supports the idea that through this and many other initiatives, the youth will be able to build experiences and networks that would go a long way in their career development.
Hon. Mustapha used the opportunity to implore young people to position themselves to learn from and share ideas with each other to globally champion the youth for National Development in pursuance of the AU Agenda 2063 Aspirations.
“I congratulate the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate of the African Union Commission and all Development Partners on board for their unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and capacity building” he concluded.
