Mimiko urges Africa to leverage on youths to reverse current economic slide

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday in Lagos called on African leaders to leverage on its demographic advantage, particularly the large population of youths, to reawaken the economic doldrums of the continent.

In particular, Mimiko wants African youths to be assisted in driving the continent’s integration, peace and development agenda akin to the model adopted by China.

Delivering a keynote address at this year’s Africa Business Conference (ABC), Lagos Business School, (Pan Atlantic University) titled ‘Africa Rising: Leveraging the Power of a Younger Generation’, he asserted that the future of Africa’s development is anchored on the youths.

The governor noted the way to go for Africa to rise from the development backwaters was to leverage on the capacity and potentials of the youth for breakthrough for the needed breakthrough.

He noted that the youths belong to a key segment of the population who must be harnessed for meaningful development. According to him “their great potentials, dynamism, resourcefulness, resilience and aspirations are invaluable social capital that the continent must not only harnessed, but which must be invested in and channeled towards a more sustainable future for Africa.”

Mimiko, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum lamented that the resource flow from the poor countries of the south, Africa inclusive, to the developed countries of the north, was not likely to abate for now.

He lamented that the current global economic challenge was already reducing the volume of Foreign Direct Investments, while some currencies like the naira were falling steeply with no solution in sight.

He added hat “Africa therefore, needs serious thinking on what to do with her economy, not only in the long run but most importantly in the short run.” He called for the strengthening of democratic institutions and governance, with a view to checkmating possible democratic reversals across the continent.

“Every hand must therefore, be on deck to ensure that transparency and accountability reign supreme in Africa. Much as we need strong institutions, we still cannot rule out intellectually strong men to drive Africa out of the woods.