…Reiterates commitment to actualising Commonwealth core values
By Seun Adams
The Federal Government on Tuesday urged governments across the world to invest in their youths even as it insisted that youth must take centre stage in the priority order of governance.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare underscored that that is why the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration embarked on establishing a youth investment fund of N75 billion over 3 years to provide youth with collateral free loans on preferential terms to catalyze their ideas.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the actualization of the core values of the Commonwealth, and also expressed his firm belief in the power of the youth as the driving force in making a difference in the socio-economic development of their societies.
The President gave the assurance today in Abuja when he declared open the 2023 Commonwealth Youth and Students Summit, African Region.
He noted that youth is a transition phase, though always confronted by different realities, opportunities and challenges that define their resilience and potentials.
President Buhari explained that the Commonwealth as it is known today has come a long way from being just a handful of Committee of Nations representing former British Colonies to a global force on matters of universal peace, democracy, human rights, economic and social development as well as youth and sports development.
He informed that the future of the youth can only be built through collaboration, communication, compromise and wisdom of those who have earned experience overtime and thus called on the youth to avoid confrontation and conflict as these are likely to mar their full potentials.
“The actualization of these potentials means solutions for all of us; youth and adults alike because many of the challenges that face us are cross demographic”, the President said.
Dare, further said that the conversations at the ongoing summit will centre around the role of technology in deciding the future of African youth leadership in various sectors.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar assured that the Ministry will continue to create an enabling environment for the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of Government that have direct impact on the youth.
The summit with the theme: “Co-creating our common future leadership in the Digital age in Africa,” is to witness an assemblage of 11 Ministers and 5000 youth from 21 African countries.