The Alliance Africa (ICA Africa) held the Alliance Africa Youth Conference in Kigali, Rwanda on October 29, as part of their 12th Regional Assembly. More than 240 co-operators from 22 countries, from within and outside Africa attended the conference. There were 26 case studies presented on the following sub-themes, 1) Partnerships and collaborations - successful partnerships and lessons learnt, 2) Promoting financial inclusion for young people through co-operatives, 3) Employment vs job creation, and the role of business development services – which way forward for youth in Africa? Case studies were also presented from the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe were regions. Ms. Yuki Nishimoto, from the ICA-AP Malaysia Business Office presented a case study on, “the Role and Education Program of Youth Staff in Consumer Co-op in Japan.”
Per a 2015 UN report, the population of youth (age15-24) was 1.2 billion; of which 19% were in Africa. By 2030, it is expected that 42 percent of youth in the world will be in Africa. Most sub-Saharan countries are struggling to educate their young people and anticipating very high youth unemployment rates.
Throughout the conference, the topic actively discussed was the role of the Savings and Credit Co-operative (SACCO) in financial inclusion of youth. SACCO is one of the biggest sector of co-operatives in Africa and is the predominant form of external financing for small and micro enterprises. In addition to financing, SACCOs could promote entrepreneurship among youth. This could be a viable poverty reduction strategy given most new jobs are created through small enterprises and self-employment. The assistance could take the form of business training, advisory services, mentorship, and access to finance.
