On 14 December 2023, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) held the 4th APRM youth Symposium in Johannesburg South Africa. The symposium, which this year also formed part of APRM’s 20th-anniversary celebrations, brought together youth and youth-focused voices from intergovernmental organisations, governments, national youth committees, and civil society to discuss the roles youth can play in promoting good governance, as well as youth responses to contemporary African challenges.
The symposium featured a keynote address from H.E Amara Kallon, Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, Sierra Leone, who referred to ACCORD’s peace and security analysis, and argued that youth engagement was crucial to building a more stable and prosperous continent. The event also saw contributions from Prof. Eddy Maloka, CEO of APRM, as well as several other experts, all of whom stressed the importance of youth in good governance, and the need to institutionalise meaningful youth engagement.
A recurrent and growing governance, peace and security concern on the continent has been the increasing prevalence of unconstitutional changes of government on the African Continent. This trend has been highlighted by the recent African Governance Report (AGR) 2023, and the United Nations Development Programme Report entitled ‘Soldiers and Citizens’, and as such played a central role in the day’s discussions. To unpack this trend and further research around it, the symposium included a panel discussion featuring Dr McBride Nkhalamba, APRM’s Director of Governance and Specialised Reporting; Dr Jide Martyns Okeke, UNDP Regional Programme Coordinator for Africa; and Nyasha Mpani, the Project Leader of the Data for Governance Alliance Project at the Institute for Transitional Justice. The panel demonstrated while many Africans, across generational divides, are dissatisfied with ineffective governance and are anxious for changes to the status quo, young people in general preferred democratic systems to military rule.
ACCORD’s engagement with this symposium aligns with the institution’s continued work to support and promote good governance in the realm of peace and security and the non-violent resolution of conflicts. Specifically, this event aligns with ACCORD’s key strategic objective to enhance the role of youth in preventing, mitigating and managing complex conflicts.
