THE FOURTH EDITION OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH CONFERENCE AGAINST HUNGER, 15th -22nd APRIL 2013.

John Peter Amara, Country Representative, Africa Youth Coalition Against Hunger, Sierra  Leone

 Blogger’s  Forward

The article below is my contribution to the recent conference by the African Youth Coalition Against Hunger (AYCAH) that was scheduled for 15th-22nd April, 2013. I am urging policy makers and all institutions (both domestic and international) dealing with youth welfare to digest the article and re-assess their actions. The path to the establishment of the AYCAH started from a conference at the Friendship Hotel, the Gambia. We had many charitable organisations around the world that attended the conference, and among them, is a charitable organisation co-founder by me named Group for African Peace (GAP). At the end of the conference, all participating charitable entities from different countries were required to make a presentation, and thereafter, a voting commences to determine the next country to host the conference. Though our charitable organisation that we represented was established in the Gambia, I was asked to make the presentation on behalf of my home country, Sierra Leone. The convincing sound-bite used that led to the winning of hosting the conference in Sierra Leone was, “we need the conference in Sierra Leone to restore hope in the youths”. Sierra Leone won ahead of Senegal, Nigeria, Congo and many more. The next conference was meant to be hosted in Sierra Leone, but due to the negligence of the youth –oriented charitable organisation that represented Sierra Leone coupled with the usual lip-services to youth development and development in general from the authorities and other established non-governmental organisations, the conference became a failure. Senegal that came second after the voting then hosted the conference, as the representatives from Sierra Leone couldn't put their acts together to ensure the occurrence of the event. The alternative decision was made after a monitoring and evaluation team travelled to Sierra Leone to study the progress of conference hosting preparation. It was in Senegal that the whole idea of AYCAH emerged. Thanks to Ex-President, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, for sponsoring the secretariat for the international non-governmental organisation. It was at the conference in Senegal that Mr. John Peter Amara (representative from Group for African Peace, Gambia Chapter) gained the appointment as Country Representative of AYCAH, Sierra Leone. I am thanking Mr. John Peter Amara and team in Sierra Leone for making the conference possible. 

http://zopsianechoes.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/understanding-and-transformation-of.html

The conference and its Declaration

`DECLARATION OF THE 4^TH EDITION OF THE AFRICAN YOUTH CONFERENCE AGAINST HUNGER ORGANIZED BY THE AFRICA YOUTH COALITION AGAINST HUNGER IN COLLABORATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AND PARTNERS.

“AYCAH, FREETOWN 2013”

THEME: “ENHANCING YOUTH FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”

The Miatta Declaration is the outcome of the learning and discussion and contribution of African Youth Delegates during the workshop sessions for the past four days at the 4^th Edition of the African Youth Conference Against Hunger “AYCAH,Freetown 2013. In 2000, world leaders had resolved on halving hunger in the world from the rate of 854 million hungry population to 427, thus addressing the MDG one (1).

During the conference,four thematic areas were highly discussed:

1. Health Related Issues and  Food  Security.
2. Youth in Conflict Prevention, Gender issues and Democratic Governance.
3. International Trade, Local Agriculture and Illegal Migration.
4. Youth Employment, Migration, poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 We the youth delegates from Africa (about 9 countries) participating in the 4^th Edition of the African Youth Conference Against Hunger have met in the City of Freetown , Sierra Leone from the 15^th – 22^nd April 2013. The venue for the conference was Miatta Conference Hall, Youyi Building, Freetown, Sierra Leone. 

Preamble:

The great Pan Africans believed that, coming together to fight the hunger and poverty crisis in Africa will help developed our resource base in the African Continent,as sixty percent of young people will agriculturally  be induced.

Recognizing that:  Young people are the key actors of development and contributing factors of the MDG’s and that states have made gains in the integration of young people through the declaration of the first international youth year in 1985.

Conscious: Progress made in the achievement of youth empowerment in youth engagement in the agricultural sector.

Committing: Advance economic policies for sustainable growth that reduce income inequality and guarantee young people equal opportunities for development, food and employment and strengthen our efforts to achieve MDG 1 goals and target to reduce poverty and hunger.

After serious presentations and discussions for several days on the above four thematic areas, youth leaders came up with meaningful recommendations and agreed on the following:

1.  Establishment of the African Youth Agricultural Production Centre  in Sierra Leone with the support by the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Agriculture , Forestry and Food Security in Sierra Leone  in collaboration with the Africa Youth Coalition Against Hunger Sierra Leone.
2. Our African governments to review their agricultural policies for the interest of all.
3. For twenty percent of the national budget be allocated to the agricultural sector in Africa.
4.  Easy access to land grants to young people for agricultural purposes.
5. To established African Agricultural  development banks and road network in all boundaries within the African continent.
6. Allocation of scholarship for Agricultural Students in Africa.
7. Subsidize /tuition free for mechanised farming and medical facilities for farmers.
8. Relocate all Agricultural Ministries in the rural areas.
9.  Establishment of African Agricultural Trade Centers in each country.
10. Better welfare package for African farmers and promote young African farmers.
11.  Manufacturing industries for locally produced goods within the African Continent.
12. Review Migration polices and halt border harassment against youth in Africa.
13. Enforcing the free and one single  currency in Africa and the promote regional integration.
14.  Existing youth policies should be enacted as laws.
15. Increasing Food and Nutritional Security for the Resource Poor Farmers.
16. Our African government should allocate resources for the implementation and supervision of all agricultural projects in the interest of all in the attainment of the MDG “ONE” A and B.

Independent Observers' Statement

The African Youth Conference Against Hunger has compiled their recommendations. We the independent Observers are now looking forward to the Governance in Africa to implement the recommendations. We shall set-up a monitoring team to report on their findings. Eyes are now watching and atomic pens are ready to be pushed in order to restore hope in African youths. Africa is a great nation that is endowed with pool of resources that are under-tapped, as a result of ongoing greed and bad governance. However, we won’t sleep until we see a smiling light for all at the end of the tunnel.

Compiled By:

Prince Foday
Managing Editor/Blogger