From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (AfreximBank) Prof Benedict O Oramah; High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria, HE Humphrey Geiseb; Ambassador of Cote D’Ivoire to Nigeria and ECOWAS, HE Ambassador Kalilou TRAORE; Dr Tony Luka Elumelu, Ag Director of Private Sector Development at the ECOWAS Commission, Nigeria as well as popular Nigerian businessman, Mr Obinna Tochukwu Iyiegbu (Obi Cubana), Chairman, Cubana Group, Nigeria; have been named the keynote and guest speakers, respectively, at the 2022 edition of the Grand Africa Initiative (GAIN) youth summit holding from 28th-29th October 2022 with the theme “The Africa We Want: Nexus between the Youth, Peace and Entrepreneurship II.
Other confirmed speakers include; Ehia Erhaboh, Executive Vice President, Operations and Technology, Interswitch Group, Nigeria; Caroline Njuki, Officer in Charge and Chief Technical Advisor Inclusive Jobs and Education, International Labour Organisation, Kenya; Eric Nges: Vice President, JP Morgan, Germany; Hon Emma Inamutila Theofelus(MP); Deputy Minister for ICT, Namibia; Sam Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA Africa, Nigeria; Emmanuel Asika; Country Manager- HP Nigeria; Omni Channel Manager-HP ACE; Lennox Omondi, CEO and Founder, Eco-Bana Limited, Kenya and 2022 Winner Hult Prize; Chidi Nwaogu, Co-Founder, Publiseer/ Tech Entrepreneur and Software Developer, Nigeria; Princess Adeyinka Tenekah; Founder/CEO, Happy Coffee, Nigeria; Rapitso Mosebetsi, Co-Founder & CEO Iconics Pty Ltd, Lesotho, among others”
Executive Director, GAIN, Ms Chinwe Okoli, in a statement on Thursday, explained that the Summit is an annual gathering of policymakers, diplomats, public and private sector leaders, development institutions, civil society groups and the youths from across the continent and the diaspora, focused on developing entrepreneurship, innovation, professional and employability capacities in young Africans in a way that helps tackle the menace of youth unemployment and conflict on the continent.
She stated that this year’s summit will build on and further examine the key insights on what was discussed at the 2021 summit which had Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as the special guest of honour.
According to Ms Okoli, “We are excited at the level of growth and impact that GAIN youth summit is making through the years. This year, we are glad that organisations and institutions such as the ECOWAS Commission, AfreximBank, Embassy of the Republic of Guinea to Nigeria, High Commission of Namibia to Nigeria and the Embassy of Cote D’Ivoire to Nigeria are partnering with GAIN.
“We are especially grateful to ECOWAS through the Youth and Sports Development Centre(EYSDC) for their financial support, and grateful to those that would share their thoughts with over 2000 youths from across the world”.
Ms Okoli said that in the past three years, the GAIN youth summit has deepened the discourse and contributed to shaping policies around strategies to unleash the economic potential of young Africans to build sustainable prosperity on the continent.
“We are delighted that previous editions of the summit attracted leaders such as Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, Governor, Anambra State and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria; British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing; Ambassador of Angola to Nigeria, Dr Januario Eustaquio Quibato; The High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, Mr Thami Mseleku; Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and sports, Hon Sunday Dare, among several others.”
She encouraged interested youths to register to attend the summit for free via the link: http://bit.ly/GAINYS22, and stand a chance to acquire knowledge and skills that would make them better in their areas of endeavour.
She explained that GAIN is a youth-focused pan-African non-governmental organisation which comprises young Africans between 15 and 35 years drawn from within and outside the continent, who are passionate about promoting entrepreneurship as a means to reduce conflict, promote peace and economic revival of the continent.