Young African Leaders Seek Regional Integration
By Oladipupo Mojeed
West African leaders have been urged to implement policies and programmes that will make governance more dynamic in the region.
The call was made by Young African leaders made up of select group of young, influential Africans in the area.
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) was held in Accra, Ghana, with the aim of pursuing the political/economic integration of ECOWAS states.
Weak judiciary system
Citing Ghana’s strong judiciary as against that of Nigeria, the group noted that imbalances in institutional efficacy pose a huge challenge to mutually beneficial integration.
Against this backdrop, the young influencers made a pledge to implement various policies and programs in their nations to enhance the effectiveness of regional institutions in various localities.
YALI, which is an initiative of former U.S. President, Barack Obama, was launched in 2010 to support young Africans as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The need to invest in grooming strong, result-oriented leaders comes out of the statistics that a nearly one in three Africans are between the ages of 10 and 24, and approximately 60% of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35.
