As the Youth Connekt Africa Summit drew to a close on Saturday, October 15, young people said the need to mobilise finances is a priority as the world seeks to mitigate the effects of climate change. They said the forthcoming United Nations climate conference (COP27), due in November in Egypt, should come up with concrete actions to address the climate emergency. They made the call during the closure of the fifth edition of the Youth Connekt Africa Summit that gathered over 9,000 young people from across the continent. “Mobilising finance for climate change mitigation is urgently needed as it is, to a large extent, a prerequisite to many of the actions African countries need to take,” Alodie Iradukunda from Rwanda said as she presented the summit’s recommendations. COP27 should lay out concrete actions for assisting developing countries in getting climate finance required to boost climate action.” Although developed countries had pledged $100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries by 2024, Iradukunda said, this has yet to be fulfilled. “At COP27, there should be concrete actions to initiate plans and showcase how the funds will transform over the years to ensure its sustainability.” The African youth have stressed the need for more innovative financing models and instruments to address loss and damage. “There is an urgent need to secure a dedicated new financing facility that will help developing countries ravaged by climate-induced losses and damages” Iradukunda said. Other recommendations include prioritising youth-led green entrepreneurship for resilient economic growth. With over 100 million people in extreme poverty bearing the brunt of climate change in Africa, the youth have also called for the scaling up of adaptation mechanisms, such as early warning systems and sustainable infrastructure. Africa’s energy transition is also of much importance as some 600 million people remain unconnected to energy sources,” Iradukunda said. She said that other priority investment areas include sustainable agriculture to ensure food security as well as proper waste management. “We need to improve the management of waste, particularly plastic waste, as this is a serious threat to our continent affecting our health,” she said while calling for strict restrictions against single-use plastics. During the Youth Connect summit, young people from across Africa were able to engage their leaders and deliberate ways to boost the continent's economic development. “A generation ago, this could not have happened because governments, leaders, partners were in a completely different mind-set in terms of listening to the youth, engaging their own citizens and allowing them to participate in decision making,” said Michele Chandotti, the chief of staff of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which co-organised the summit. “This initiative symbolises a mental revolutionary approach that can only produce lasting results for the future. And we have seen how the young people have framed their contribution to the upcoming conference of the parties to the climate convention in Egypt.” According to Oulie Keita, the Executive Director of Youth Connekt Africa Hub, the summit, held under the theme Accelerating Investments in Youth: “Resilient Youth, Resilient Africa,” the thousands of young delegates discussed matters of importance, such as the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “Over the last three days, young people have engaged with their leaders, policymakers, private sector, and development partners as well as experts. Some of the engagements include training boot camps for young entrepreneurs all over the continent on how to use the AfCFTA framework,” Keita said. “The young people have with their leaders in shaping the narrative on Africa’s development to ensure that the continent is portrayed for what it truly is – which is a continent rich of talent, natural resources, and resilience.” This year’s Youth Connekt delegates were able to meet football legends like Rwandan Jimmy Gatete and Cameroonian Roger Milla, among others. Musicians Patoranking and Jah Prayzah performed on Friday in a colourful event.
