[Senegal] Regional youth confab against hunger ends

from The Daily Observer

Written by Ebrima Jaw Manneh From Dakar, Senegal
Tuesday, 09 May 2006

A second edition of the African Youth Conference Against Hunger (AYCAH), last week Tuesday, ended at the BCEAO City at Yoff in Dakar, Senegal.

At least 150 youth leaders from the region, including one from Germany, attended the week-long regional conference, sponsored by the Action -Aid -The Gambia. Delegates, including at least 30 from The Gambia, were grouped into four to repectively deliberate on thematic issues like: HIV/Aids and food security, international trade and local agriculture, Millenium Development Goals, and Youth in Conflict. These formed the hallmark of the annual conference, on the theme: International Alliance Against Humger.

Delivering his closing statement, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, Foreign Minister of Senegal, said the basis of the conference complements and reinforces the vision of the founding fathers of Pan-Afrikanism to rid Africa off hunger, poverty, killings and suffering. He then commended the youth leaders for their foresight, saying that Senegal has constitutionalised its membership in the African Union (AU).

Mr Gadio challenged African intellectuals to steer the wheel of integration for African unity.
He also stressed on the importance of education for girls and the role of women in the development of the continent, urging the male folk to enhance the ground and give women the chance to leadership.

He denounced conflict as catastrophic to development and then challenged the delegates to always fight for peace, development and the defence of Africa. According to him, the resources of Africa only benefit other countries in instances of conflict at the expense of Africa’s progress. “We should hold our authorities and engage them in debates as to their responsibilities to the young,” he said.

Alagie Kebbeh, chairperson of the National Youth Council (NYC) and director of the National Association of Youth for Food Security (Nayafs), said young people have been at the listening and receiving ends of issues affecting them and then urged: “It is time we talk and act to solve our own problems as young people.”

According to him, hunger is surrounded by several issues including HIV/Aids, World Trade Organisation, the IMF and World Bank rules, which he said, “impedes our progress.” He opined that the AYCAH is not calling for free trade, saying African countries cannot compete with developed countries if the conditions remain unchanged. He said: “We are calling for fair trade.”
Mr Kebbeh then observed the need for intra-African trade to stimulate the process of rapid development of African economies, especially agriculture.

He exemplified China and other emerging economies in the Asia for African countries to emulate, saying “we should forget about conflict and concentrate on development. We should struggle for development.”

He also reminded world leaders of their commitments to the MDGs and then warned against the pace with which countries are moving for the realisation of the set targets.
Beneta Obeh, a delegate from Nigeria, delivered the vote of thanks and echoed the need for the youth to lead the way in order to rid Africa of hunger.