The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC), Hon. Tumiso Rakgare and the UNDP Botswana Resident Representative lead a delegation of Youth Entrepreneurs and Youth Entrepreneurship Development Officials, to the largest youth summit on the continent, the Youth Connekt Africa Summit is currently held in Accra, Ghana since the 20^th October – 22^nd October 2021.

The Summit is held under the theme: “Africa Beyond Aid: Positioning the Youth for the Post-Covid Economy and AfCFTA Opportunities.” It will be a hybrid event hosted by Ghana’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Youth Authority, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  

The YCA Summit is a high-level networking event that will be attended by Heads of State and Government, African Ministers of Youth, Youth Leaders, Leading Innovators, Captains of Industry, Entrepreneurs and Senior UN officials from across the world. It provides a platform for all partners involved in youth development to synergize efforts in policies, programmes and partnerships that will connect youth for continental transformation. 

The 2021 Summit is taking place under the auspices of the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Youth Authority (NYA), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda. The three-day summit promises an offer of several enriching and highly interactive sessions, ranging from high-level plenary discussions, a masterclass on advocacy and active citizenship, a made-in-Africa marketplace, a youth development stakeholders roundtable, among others.

Expected outcomes from the summit include: establishment of new mechanisms to boost intra-Africa trade through increased participation of youth entrepreneurs; increased synergies among multiple stakeholders around policies, programmes and investments that position African youth to lead the acceleration of the Africa Beyond Aid vision; progressive and inclusive formalisation of youth entrepreneurs operating in the emerging employment pathways and informal economy to increase the entrepreneurs' access to services and other opportunities; alignment of partners and stakeholders towards the accelerated implementation of policies and programmes that activate youth socio-economic development; and meaningful engagement of African youth on issues affecting their future through evidence-based practices.

With support from Debswana, Botswana’s delegation will include seven impactful youth entrepreneurs who are either Youth Development Fund (YDF) beneficiaries or Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub (BD&IH) capacity development beneficiaries.

About UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organisation fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet.

About YouthConnekt Africa

The YouthConnekt Africa as a Pan-African program aims to co-design and accelerate African home-grown innovative solutions for youth to address socio-economic challenges and support intergovernmental knowledge exchange on policy, programmes and partnerships.The YouthConnekt programme was initially established by UNDP in Rwanda and has since been rolled out to more countries as a key offer to Africa and its young generation. The platform enables young women and men to connect with leaders, role models, peers, skills and resources to promote employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. It coordinates and nurtures collaboration between youth empowerment initiatives and hubs through a continental network of youth empowerment experts across Africa. YouthConnekt focuses on providing an integrated approach in support of entrepreneurship, awareness raising, engagement in national policy and development dialogues, engagement in community development, innovation challenges and awards and with a strong focus on ICT to allow for virtual engagements.

About YouthConnekt Botswana

The YouthConnekt programme was launched in Botswana in July 2021, as an extension of the UNDP’s flagship Supplier Development Programme (SDP). This was made possible through support from the Russian Federation. It is a partnership between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MYSC) and Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub (BD&IH). The rollout of the pilot programme is based on three Key Outcomes:

1.     Enhanced entrepreneurial skills and business practices developed in youth-owned businesses

2.     Collaborative community engagement and networking for social change

3.     Co-creation and digital spaces provided for innovative youth entrepreneurs

#YOUthCanDoIT #AfricaWeWant #YouthConnektSummit2021

For general enquiry, please contact: youthconnekt@nya.gov.gh / info@youthconnektafrica.org

For more information and media interviews, contact:

Lebogang Tlhaloso, UNDP Communications Associate - Tel: +267 363 3745; | Mobile: +267 71 686 682  | Email: lebogang.tlhaloso@undp.org

Bame Modungwa, Project Officer – Supplier Development Programme (SDP) - Tel: +267 363 3700; | Mobile: +267 74793355; | Email: bame.modungwa@undp.org