President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has commended African youths for their positive impact in rewriting history of the continent in a positive way, saying that the youth, with the use of technology, were rewriting the African script by telling their own stories, promoting their communities and businesses.
Asiwaju Tinubu gave this commendation at the Commonwealth Youth and Students Summit held in Abuja, even as he noted that the world now lived in a digital age, and technology was rapidly transforming the way citizens live, work, and communicate.
The president-elect, who was represented at the summit by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Youth Leader, Hon. Dayo Israel, further noted that the digital revolution had opened new opportunities for innovation, growth, and development, declaring that Africa was home to a vast youth population, and was proud of what the African youths had so far done with it.
This was just as he observed the growing rate of unicorns in the continent compared to what it was seven years ago, saying that Africa could now boast of no fewer than seven startups worth over one billion dollars.
He expressed the belief that “Africa of tomorrow must have no less than 100 unicorns by 2035 due to her abundant human and natural resources that must be utilised “to our advantage”.
“Today, with the use of technology, you are rewriting the African script. You are promoting your communities, businesses and endeavours by telling your own stories. We live in a digital age, and technology is rapidly transforming the way we live, work, and communicate.
“The digital revolution has opened new opportunities for innovation, growth, and development. Africa is home to a vast youth population, and I am proud of what you have done with it so far.
“About seven years ago, Africa had not a single unicorn. Today, the continent boasts no less than seven startups worth over one billion dollars. That’s the Africa of today.
“The Africa of tomorrow must have no less than 100 unicorns by 2035 because Africa has an abundance of human and natural resources, and we must utilise them to our advantage.
“Africa represents more than 30% of the world’s youth. We are the youngest continent in the world: 21% of our 1.2billion people are between 15 and 24 years old, whereas 42% are younger than 15. We have the energy to create innovative and sustainable solutions to factors holding us back from excelling,” Tinubu stated.
Tinubu posited that Africa owed the youth a lot of gratitude for presenting the continent in a good light, saying that the focus of media in the past was the negative things about Africa, creating the impression that there were no positive things coming from the continent.
Shedding more light on the theme of their summit, “Co-creating our common future leadership in the digital age in Africa,” the president-elect said the topic speaks to the twin issues of leadership and technology as needed catalysts for development in Africa.
He, therefore, charged the youth to collectively work as a team to create a safe and secure environment in order for them to actualise their potentials.
“We must work together to create safe and secure environments for ourselves and our communities. We must reject violence and extremism and promote peace and harmony. We must also work to create a united front against external threats and challenges.
“Unity is crucial for Africa’s success. We must work together to promote cooperation, collaboration, and solidarity. We must break down the barriers that divide us and build bridges of understanding and trust.
“We must also promote inclusivity and ensure that everyone has a seat at the table. We must set high goals for ourselves and work tirelessly to achieve them. We must also support and encourage each other in our pursuits. We must reject the limiting beliefs that hold us back and embrace our full potential,” Asiwaju Tinubu said.
Speaking further, the president-elect said that entrepreneurs were the driving force behind economic growth globally, hence the need for more young people to take on the challenge.
“I urge you to take advantage of the resources available to you and to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams.
“Fashion and tourism are two industries that can help us showcase the beauty of Africa to the rest of the world. We must invest in these sectors and work to create unique and authentic experiences for tourists.
“We must also celebrate our fashion designers and support current efforts being put in to promote African fashion globally,” he said.
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