Youth summit: We’re all ‘well cooked’

AN East African youth leadership summit has resolved to form a regional grouping dubbed the East African Youth Council that will hold regular meetings on matters of common interest.

The resolution was among several agreed on after a five-day meeting that brought together more than 200 youth from Eastern African countries. Speaking here, DSW Tanzania Communication Coordinator, Ms Philomena Marijani, said all council decisions would be presented to the East African Community (EAC) secretariat.

Ms Marijani, who works with one of the biggest stakeholders at the meeting that took place at Tengeru, Arusha, noted that the youth came out of the summit “well cooked” after several sessions and were deter-mined to propel to leadership positions when back in their countries.

Ms Marijani revealed that one of main issues agreed upon involved reproductive health awareness -- basic to youth activities among the youth and the nations at large. “As one of the great stakeholders in empowering youth in the EAC bloc, DSW were in the summit and discussed a lot on empowering youth in reproductive health, leadership and economy. We discuss on why the youth should have a huge understanding of themselves and their lives if they are to hold leadership positions.

“We came out as one, with deliberations that we have Youth Council that would present its decisions to the EAC. They are going to be good ambassadors in all matters such as reproductive health and in fighting early pregnancies so as to avert maternal deaths,” said Ms Marijani.

Arusha Regional Youth Development Officer, Mr Japhet Kulwa said that good attendance and contribution of the youth has greatly helped them understand what youth in other countries do as they shared a lot of experience.

“We have learnt about what others do so that we could also strategise… they have also learnt from us on how the youth could tap opportunities, change challenges to new opportunities as well as engage in business and professional matters,” said Kulwa.


The summit brought youth delegates from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi.