Center for Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development in collaboration and African Transformer Institute have held a two-day youth summit to model African Union, in Abuja.
The Executive Director of the institute,Mr Augustine Igweshi, stated that the Abuja Model African Union (AMAU) was a platform that brings African Youths together, to replay Africa union parliaments.
According to him, the United Nations was often modelled leaving behind the African Union.
“As Pan-Africanists,we decided to bring AU home ,to our people, it’s important for us to learn about AU and how it’s organs and systems function.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Model African Union is a simulation of the AU, bringing together youth from across Africa and the world at large to take on the roles of African leaders working to tackle issues affecting or influencing the continent today.
NAN also reports that the summit aims at establishing a network among Africa’s youth as well as to create social and global awareness regarding prominent challenges facing Africa.
Also speaking, Mr, Julius Iyere, Chairman, AU Commission for the AMAU conference 2021, emphasized on the theme of the summit”regional integration, sustainable peace, economic growth”saying that an Africa devoid of peace cannot speak on prosperity or development.
“The African Union (AU) plays a key role in enabling prosperity for Africa, however responsibility must be extended to the youth of today to fast-track the realization of the goals set forth for youth development issues.
“Through this summit, they will learn about indelible leadership and build diplomatic skills,they will be coming up with topics that will enable resolutions from the opinions of their different African countries.
“Those resolutions , according to him,will be passed on to appropriate authorities and relevant stakeholders for policy implementation.
It’s also about personal development,how to negotiate, bargain and deal with the issues of conflicts.young people are acting as Ambassadors representing different countries.they will learn about all these.
“We want an Africa where ethnicity, religion and peace is paramount,when we can see ourselves first as African’s before any other.
Continental President, Great Minds Empire Africa, Tama Monday Yari, said that the vision for the summit was to build a cross border youth engagement, where individuals will not need to travel to Namibia to learn about their proceedings of policy.
” African Agenda 2063 is not possible, achievable if we don’t work together, what we do today, will determine where we are going tomorrow.
”The baton is in our hands ,we all must come together, the call is loud, the battles of our forefathers who dreamt of a United Africa is in your hands,it’s not about where you’re coming from.
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“Africa is at a point of breaking forth, where we need to come together more than before, Africa is at a point where we need to complement each other we all must embrace the tenacity of unity,”he said.
NAN reports that 43 AU countries were represented, with some countries having two delegations, making a total of 80 to100 participants in the conference
Youths hold model African Union summit
