Eager to make their voices heard, 10 youth from eight African countries will take over the stage in Accra (Ghana) on World Children’s Day to tell the world about the Africa they want to live in, through a series of short, powerful talks.
The 10 girls and boys aged 12 to 19 year old from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo will deliver inspirational talks at the Africa Dialogues event on issues affecting children and youth on the continent, sharing their vision of what they want Africa’s future to be.
“The problems facing Africa affect children first, so they feel the impact of the problems more than the adults,” said Andrew Adansi-Bonnah, 17-year-old from Ghana, who will speak about hunger and malnutrition in Africa. “Giving children a platform to speak on issues bothering them can help to reduce their sufferings. I expect that this event is going to boost up children’s level of motivation and aspirations.”
The event is a collaboration between the People Initiative Foundation and UNICEF to mark World Children’s Day, the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. On that day, a series of global events will see children and youth around the world ‘take over’ key roles in media, politics, business, sport and entertainment to help save children’s lives, fight for their rights and fulfil their potential.
In Accra, the youth will address some of the critical issues facing Africa now and in the future:
- Hamado Moussa Diallo, 18, from Burkina Faso, will talk about the importance of education
- Élie Yedou, 18, from Côte d’Ivoire, will talk about a peaceful and hunger-free Africa
- Fatoumatta A. Camara, 18, from The Gambia, will talk about female genital mutilation
- Victoria Kweinorki Quaynor, 19, from Ghana, will talk about neglected children
- Andrew Adansi-Bonnah, 17, from Ghana, will talk about hunger and malnutrition
- Natasha Adu, 12, from Ghana, will talk about sanitation
- Hadja Idrissa Bah, 18, from Guinea, will talk about child marriage
- Fatima Aliyu Gebi, 17, from Nigeria, will talk about the plight and plea of the northern girl child
- Rebecca Evelyn Deborah Sankoh, 18, from Sierra Leone, will talk about education and development
- Abra Rosaline Tsekpuia, 19, from Togo, will talk about food security
The youth takeover of Africa Dialogues will be streamed live at http://AfricaDialogues.com during a public event in Accra on 20 November 2017 between 9am and 3pm (GMT). Recordings will later be made available on the Africa Dialogues website.