EDITORIAL - Is your Government Adequately Investing in Young People?

As a young African do you believe your government is adequately investing in activities of young people? If your response is YES, then I will say ‘make great use of the opportunity’ but if it’s NO, permit me to go further and ask you if you can adequately convince your government/society why there should “waste” their resources on investing in young people? We live in a world where most people want to see convincing arguments before they can embark on any giant long-term project.I recently came across a UNFPA publication; “The Case for Investing in Young People as Part of a National Poverty Reduction Strategy”, where I found some very convincing arguments for investing in young people:

Argument 1: Young people should receive a fair share of resources. The most straightforward argument that can be put to policy makers is a distributional one based on equity — young people’s large share of the population in developing countries justifies providing them with their fair share of resources.

Argument 2: Young people are a key focus in the MDGs. Six of the eight Millennium Development Goals in particular refer to young people because they cover activities in which mostly young people are engaged (MDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 & 8). Therefore, attaining these goals necessitates countries to adequately invest in their young people.

Argument 3: Young people as a critical stage in the lifecycle. Adolescence is a dynamic transitional period and offers both challenges and opportunities in which future lives are shaped. Providing young people with the information and services they need will not only provide them with the opportunity to make healthy and responsible decisions, it will also contribute to societal development at a larger scale.

Argument 4: Breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty. The argument is that investment in human development promotes economic growth, and that this in turn makes it easier for governments and people to invest in their own human development.

Argument 5: Long-term benefit for society: the demographic bonus. A demographic bonus happens when the number of people in the working ages grows more rapidly than the number of dependents (children under 15 years and older people over 64 years). The achievement of a demographic bonus requires a range of supportive public sector policies, including a comprehensive youth policy as well as health and education policies. If such policies are efficient they should ensure employment options, savings opportunities, better health and more, better and higher education.

Argument 6: Long-term benefit for society: the macro-economic case. A strong macro-economic argument can be made to support investing more in young people. The argument highlights the connection between improvements to health and education outcomes and better economic growth.

Argument 7: Long-term benefits for society: reduction in the risks of violence and civil disorder. Young people are both disproportionately responsible for violent crime and are also more likely than other age groups to be the victims of such crime. Investments in education at all levels and job creation for young people could decrease the potential risk of violence and civil disorder.

Fellow readers, I hope with this information you will make a personal commitment to convince your local government representatives to invest in their young people. I therefore implore you to stand up and be counted in the fight against poverty in your various communities Pochi Tamba