Africa’s global influence tied to stronger youth

The annual Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa was held in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The event brought together African heads of State, government representatives, academicians, as well as policy-makers from varied regional and international organisations.

The informal nature of the discussions provided a platform for frank debate on peace and security issues on the continent. The general consensus seemed to be the slow but increasingly influential role of Africa in a world that is gradually shifting towards a more multipolar systemic balance of power. This fact is contrary to the previous Cold and Post-Cold War era,when the continent was viewed as a mere pawn on the global political chessboard.

The emergence of new giant economies, more so China, has presented Africa with increased options for trade and developmental aid. This is in addition to its traditional western development partners.

In essence the increased space for Africa to manoeuvre has to an extent provided it with leverage on the global stage. This has been witnessed by power plays in the Security Council, in most cases mainly between China and Russia on one hand, and the United States and its allies.

The power play’s between veto powers was more pronounced during the Darfur crisis in Sudan.

However, despite the slight, but increasing assertiveness of Africa’s voice on the international stage, the continent still has a long way to go before it can forcefully stamp its authority on key global institutions, particularly at the UN Security Council.

In light of these, one of the main challenges that came out during the forum was the lack of internal institutional funding for the African Union (AU) to effectively tackle peace and security issues afflicting the continent.

This undermines the mantra “African solutions to Africa’s problem”, thus giving leeway to external donors to influence policy decisions at times contradictory to Africa’s immediate interests.

The sharp polarisation on issues of concern was witnessed with regard to AU’s call for withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.

Despite these challenges, the most important determinant towards a bright or bleak future for Africa and its role within the global security agenda is its youths.

The youth, with those aged 30 years and below comprising over 70 per cent of Africa’s total population, should not be ignored in key policy decision-making deliberations and processes. However, this can’t be attained without political goodwill from the continent’s leaders. The establishment or strengthening of fundamental institutional and organisational architecture, should be anchored in youths’ engagement as the fulcrum of peace and security.