The youth from 45 African countries gather at Kigali Serena Hotel to exchange insights on how values leading to full self reliance can be fostered in African youth in order to achieve sustainable economic development.
The two days dialogue between youth is themed ‘Self Reliance for Africa’s Prosperity’ aims at finding out what strategies can be applied to create a full understanding and willingness to apply African values to develop the continent.
Minister of education Dr Vincent Biruta urged all African leaders to help the youth understand the role of African values to development. He said that these values can help in preventing the youth from getting involved in destructive behaviors that can harm their lives including getting HIV/AIDS.
Minister Biruta reminded the youth that self reliance is rooted on values that sustain the development they aim at achieving in the future.
The youth who attends the meeting revealed barriers that hinder them from achieving self reliance in different areas of life.
The representative of EAC students association, Iradukunda Deborah from Burundi said that the African youth starts its way towards self reliance as currently the youth tries to become job creators rather than job searchers.
The youth now is willing to start develop itself but banks do not provide needed loans. It keeps financing older people who are able to provide the mortgage guarantee to the banks, she said.
For Umutoni Rachel, one of the Rwandan self reliance manifests its self as a heroic act that hinders a person from thinking that the government provides all needed jobs. She urged the youth to be active as to create jobs rather than searching it.
Young people gathering at the meeting said that the commitment to achieve the self reliance through applying African values is the only means to achieve a sustainable development.
UM– USEKE.RW
