From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is set to headline the 2021 edition of the Grand Africa Initiative (GAIN) Youth Summit as Special Guest of Honour.
Prof. Osinbajo is expected to be joined by several other speakers from within and outside Nigeria, including the Chief Executive Officer of Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu.
Other expected speakers are the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing; The High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, Mr Thami Mseleku; Ambassador of Angola to Nigeria, Dr Januario Eustaquio Quibato; the High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria, Mr Humphrey Geiseb; the Lead Faculty, Tekedia Institute, Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe.
Others are Regional Head, IBM North, East and West Africa, Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh; Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Microsoft philanthropies, Middle East & Africa & Philanthropies Lead for Nigeria, Microsoft, Mr Yemi Orimolade.
Executive Director, Grand Africa Initiative (GAIN), Chinwe Okoli, in a statement released in Abuja, on Tuesday, explained that Mrs. Ugochukwu will deliver a keynote speech on the topic “Integration and synergy to unlock scale and value of youth entrepreneurship in Africa”, while others have indicated interest in area they would speak on.
Okoli explained that the GAIN Youth Summit which holds from 29th to 30th of October, 2021, with the theme is “The Africa We Want: Nexus between the Youth, Peace and Entrepreneurship” is an annual gathering of African youths from across the continent and beyond that are focused on developing entrepreneurship, innovation, professional and academic capacities in young Africans in a way that helps tackle the menace of youth unemployment and conflict on the continent.
She said the Youth Summit has been designed to help further the discourse around strategies to unleash economic potentials of young Africans to build sustainable prosperity of the continent.
She said: “We are very happy that a number of eminent Africans and global players have signed up to partner with us on this edition of the summit. We are specially grateful that the Vice President could find time to join and dialogue with young Africans on this very important topic.
“The issues around restiveness, conflict, illegal migration and so on, we believe, are fuelled by the lack of economic opportunities driven by lack of awareness and support for entrepreneurship and innovation across the continent.
“We are optimistic that these challenges can be solved with the right partnership, understanding and providing the youths with the right knowledge and toolkits to become self-sufficient”.
She, thus, encouraged youths to register and participate in the Summit and expect a life transforming sessions and experiences.
She recalled that the first edition of the GAIN youth summit held in October, 2020 with former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, delivering the keynote speech on the theme: Curbing Youth Unemployment Crises: The Real Issues, and the summit recorded global participation from 90 countries in Africa and beyond.
She explained that GAIN is a youth-focused pan-African, non-governmental organization, 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.
GAIN programs include training, advocacy, mentorship, and youth events, designed to help achieve sustainable development by igniting the positive energy of the greater segment of Africa’s population, the youths.