The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with the African Union and the 13th All African Games, hosted an insightful event titled ‘Unlocking Opportunities: The Nexus of Youth Migration, Mobility, and Development’.
Held on the 10th of March 2024, at the youth pavilion on the sidelines of the 13th African Games at the University of Ghana, the event aimed to sensitize the youth on initiatives such as the Free Movement Of Persons Protocol (FMP) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that are geared towards integration of all African countries.
Speaking on the topic ‘Exploring strategies to enhance mobility by harnessing the power of trade, sports, and skills as catalysts for development, Senior Programme Officer for the FMP at the African Union Commission (AUC), Ms. Nancy Adossi demonstrated how the Free Movement of Persons Protocol, indicating the ease of movement between Africa countries once the protocol is affected.
“So oftentimes, in these regions, there are a lot of youth mobility, business and migration that happens within these regions because of those existing protocols. However, what we want to do is expand those within the African continent and not just have that youth mobility, that business, that trade that we see that’s happening in the Ecowas and EAC region. We want to see it all over the continent. So those are some of the thoughts behind the Free Movement Of Persons Protocol.”
Also speaking, the AfCFTA Liaison Advisor, International Trade Center (ITC), Ghana, Ms. Regina Hammond noted how the lack of information on the initiatives aimed at the promotion of free trade and free movement of persons posed as a key challenge to its implementation.
“So not having the right information is a barrier in many ways, and I think sometimes we think this is very basic, but knowledge is power, knowledge in itself empowers the youth who have do access to that. So this is one thing worth noting.”
Ms. Ify Ogo, Regional Coordination Specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also brought to light how the progressive removal of visa restrictions amongst some African countries supports the free movement of persons.
“If you look at the last five years, you’ll find that there are more countries that even without the AfCFTA, began to take down their Visa restrictions. You’ll just see an announcement, and someone will say, now you can get it on arrival, or there’s an E Visa platform. it’s not as much as we want, but it doesn’t mean that things are not happening, and then in Africa, what we’re also seeing is groups of countries are beginning to create their own opportunities.”
In the field of entrepreneurship, Mr. Ferdynand Adimefe, CEO of Magic Carpet admonished the youth to develop their skills, emphasizing the importance of practical learning and self-driven initiatives in securing opportunities for personal and professional growth.
“I challenge every young African person here… the reality of the world is your skill is the way to go, [if] you are young here and you have not acquired a skill, even if you don’t have any, you don’t have to learn it in school. Literally everybody who works with me in the studio, they learn in the studio or through some lessons on You Tube then we polish it a bit more.”
The event served as a platform for robust discussions and insights, illuminating pathways for youth mobility, entrepreneurship, and development across the African continent.
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Story by: Esther Esenam Ofori | univers.ug.edu.gh
