Agenda 2063 Mission Charges Youths to Lead Africa’s Economic Drive

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

AFRICAN youths have been urged to take the centre stage in driving the continent’s economic transformation and innovation growth as stakeholders mark the 2026 Africa Day in Abuja.

The call was made on yesterday at the Africa Day Conference and Symposium organised by the Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission, which brought together policymakers, development experts, and youth leaders to review Africa’s progress under the Agenda 2063 blueprint.

The event formed the concluding part of a three-day programme commemorating Africa Day, observed every May 25 to mark the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963.

This year’s theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” focused on linking basic infrastructure needs with long-term continental development.

Speakers at the symposium stressed that Africa’s future depends heavily on how quickly its young population can be empowered to innovate, trade, and build sustainable systems across sectors.

Chairman of the Pan-African Continental Super-Marketplace, Dr Patrick Sule Ogboma, said Africa’s development vision under Agenda 2063; particularly the aspiration for an integrated and politically united continent must be driven by practical platforms that connect people and markets.

He explained that the African Continental Free Trade Area is designed to boost intra-African trade, encourage industrialisation and create jobs, but insisted that young people must be at the heart of its implementation.

According to him, the Pan-African Continental Super-Marketplace was created as a digital platform to connect African businesses, innovators, farmers, investors and consumers across borders.

“We strongly believe that African youths are not the leaders of tomorrow, but the builders of today’s Africa. Anybody telling you you are the leaders of tomorrow should tell you instead that you are the builders of today,” Ogboma said.

He urged young Africans to take ownership of the platform and use it to expand creativity, entrepreneurship and industrial growth across the continent.

Ogboma also called for stronger collaboration among African countries and institutions, saying sustainable development would remain difficult without systems that support intra-African trade and home-grown solutions.

He further commended organisers of the symposium and partners working to advance the Agenda 2063 vision, expressing optimism that the initiative would help accelerate Africa’s economic integration.

Also speaking, President of the Pan-African AU Agenda 2063 Diplomatic Mission and Managing Director of PAC-SM, Stephen Gbatigbi Ben-Joel, urged youths to believe in their capacity to transform the continent.

He said Africa had consistently overcome major global challenges, including disease outbreaks and economic shocks, yet remained resilient and creative in the face of adversity.

“We have risen above every kind of struggle. We have innovated when there was nothing at our disposal,” he said.

Ben-Joel told young Africans not to wait for political power before contributing to development, stressing that change begins with belief, vision and action at individual level.

He also highlighted Africa’s technological and creative potential, citing examples of youth-driven innovation and urging greater investment in local solutions, digital systems and industrial development.

The Pan-African leader expressed concern over Africa’s continued dependence on foreign funding, noting that a significant portion of continental programmes still rely on external donors.

According to him, this dependency undermines Africa’s ability to fully control its economic destiny.

“We must let the world know that we are in charge of our economic future,” he declared, calling for stronger self-reliance across African institutions and governments.

Ben-Joel also advocated greater investment in waste-to-wealth initiatives, technology-driven industries and youth entrepreneurship as tools for economic transformation.

He urged African youths to embrace confidence, creativity and innovation, saying the continent’s challenges also present opportunities for growth.

The symposium also featured discussions on sustainable water management, sanitation systems, digital trade and continental integration, all tied to the broader goals of the Agenda 2063 development framework.

Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening youth participation in Africa’s development agenda, while calling for more collaboration between governments, private sector actors and development institutions.