The second edition of the continental dialogue on youth, peace and security in Africa and the youth forum of the member countries of the international conference on the regions of Great Lakes and parties to the framework agreement for peace, security and cooperation for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Innovation Week closed on December 16, 2023. The closing ceremonies were enhanced by the presence of the Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Burundi Gervais Ndirakobuca says that themes related to the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation, peacebuilding and security are crucial for the present and future of the life of the planet. He mentioned that the debates that took place in the panels rightly made it possible to understand that the future of the African continent is in the hands of the youth.
“If we want Africa to achieve the aspirations set out in Agenda 2063, we must participate effectively for young Africans in efforts to consolidate peace and security. This is why I invite young people to be actors and fervent defenders in contributing to the success of the consolidation of peace and security, entrepreneurship and innovation at the continental level,” he declares.
On the sidelines of the panel on mentoring young African innovators and entrepreneurs, the panel moderator Éric Iribuze, an engineer passionate about robotics living in the United States of America, shared his experience with the young people who participated in the dialogues for youth, peace and security. “Over the past five years, I have brought robots to young people to help them start studying science and technology, because science is the foundation of development in all countries. Young people need to practice this to develop their country in particular and all of Africa in general,” he reveals.
Désiré Manirakiza, the PAEEJ coordinator, explains that mentoring is an interpersonal relationship during which a person with experience succeeds in the development of another person who does not have this experience. “The PAEEJ was created by the government of Burundi at the instigation of the President of the Republic Evariste Ndayishimiy. It is structured around 3 components, namely capacity building training, entrepreneurship with which the PAEEJ provides funding to young people”
“To connect young people from Burundi to young Burundians in the diaspora, PAEEJ has developed two platforms which are online training courses (e-Learning) through which it invites young Burundians from the diaspora with diverse experiences to share them with the young people from Burundi. in order to get in direct contact with them. The other is the crowdfunding platform which allows us to connect young Burundians with projects but who do not have funding to be able to benefit from funding thanks to the contribution of those from abroad,” he adds.
As for the level of the Pan-African Youth Union, Ms. Pamela says that they work at different levels such as the first level for young entrepreneurs who are grouped by organization (to identify young people who are working), with decision-makers who are the States (so that there are measures to facilitate the granting of financing, access to financing at the bank level and also for related problems) and they also work at the level of partners (to say that the young people have potential, initiative, etc.). « Young people are obliged to get involved and their supporters must reduce the criteria which do not allow access to financing for young entrepreneurs who are at a very low level so that other young people in other fields can see that entrepreneurship can truly help and contribute to the development of the country in particular and that of Africa in general”, she underlines.
After the presentation of innovative projects by the young winners of the competition, it was the awarding of prizes to the winners of the competition. The 10 young people who were selected among more than six hundred young people who participated in the innovation competitions in Innovation Week led by the UNDP in Burundi, subsequently won 10 million Burundian Francs (BIF 10,000,000) each. They are Bonaventure Manirakiza with his company Bona Multiservices Company which manufactures granular machines, Jean Florent Giramahoro who is interested in the manufacture of fodder for livestock, Neilla Confiance Ineza with his company ‘Neilla Candles’ which manufactures candles from soy wax and wax. bee, Désiré Minani from the Bubanza Business company which manufactures braziers, glasses, plates and all other products made from wood residue, rubble stone and natural clay, Juvent Nsanzerugeze from Akiwacu Burundi Company which manufactures tiles, Yvanie Tunganirwa from the ADASA Wellness Ejo Heza center for the treatment of mental illnesses, Sibomana Samson from the SATECO company which produces fuel-free electric generators, Célestin who manufactures cosmetics, Adribert Ndamuhawenimana who manufactures fertilizers and Divine Nzoyihiki who manufactures putties.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Youth Severin Mbarubukeye thanked all the participants of the United Nations program for their substantial support in the progress of the activities of the dialogues. “The activities that we just concluded were an opportunity to highlight certain challenges that young people face. And, taking into account the contributions, suggestions and resolutions proposed by the stakeholders undoubtedly constitute the key success factors of the project aimed at making young people more participatory in the promotion of peace and stability. He also indicated that these dialogues were an opportunity for young people to address concrete and tangible subjects which bring them to the attention of violence prevention, social inclusion, entrepreneurship, access to education to build the Africa we want. »
Mbarubukeye concluded saying that young people must be ambassadors of peace and security. “I would like to inform the assembly that the “Youth Connect” conference which was just held in Nairobi advocated an Africa without borders, an Africa without visa in order to allow young people to travel freely and interact to share good practices in matters of peace and security,” he informs.
