Mikel Obi said: “I feel highly honoured to be appointed as Youth Ambassador of this country, it is a great feeling.

African youth, just like other youth around the world can, for example, engage in the fight against corruption and hold officials accountable...Youth can also play an important role in engaging and educating their fellow and global citizens about the post-2015 global development agenda and ways to achieve our goals so that we can achieve the developments this time around to the greatest extent possible.

The first advice is that we must listen to what the African youth is saying. What do they want, and what are their hopes and aspirations for the continent? Dialogue with them and create many opportunities to engage them. One young person once told us at an event: “If you want to accelerate action, give it to young people because we run fast.” It is also important to talk about peace and stability vis-à-vis development and prosperity. The youth is saying, “Invest in us—invest in our hopes and aspirations, in our innovations and in what we can contribute. Don’t see us as the future leaders, see us as leaders today.” We need jobs because unhappy youth, youth without hope, will not help us to silence the guns in Africa.

The diplomat also believes it is important to communicate with Africa’s youth in order to secure the continent’s future.

Young people can lead the way in bringing change, young Africans can make change on this continent.

I see it in two ways: one is the physical dropping of the guns and the other one is focusing on development, investing in our people. We have come a long way and have managed to silence the guns in many countries in Africa already, but there are still some remaining hot spots. I think we can get there. It is an opportunity to have youth and women as agents of change, not just as victims or as perpetrators of conflicts or wars. We have always been talking about child soldiers, about youth taking up arms. But there is a new narrative — that youth also want to be known as agents of peace, and therefore should be involved in the peace process on the continent.

“Youth participation in the development process in Africa is a priority and an important base for the whole continent."

Nigeria is such an unpredictable place, but I would like to become somebody African youth can identify with.

I'm currently in the studio working on a new album. But I'm in Cameroon to fight against child marriage. I've been a UNICEF ambassador since 2016, and since then, I've been very active in Cameroon to fight against child marriage, to meet with artists, and above all, to carry out a major undertaking: the production of a musical, in order to reach out to the public through institutions.

The thing I love most is connecting people, and my current mission is all about African youth.

Sometime in the past people usually said: I came, I saw and I conquered. But today, we, the CPA [Commonwealth Parliamentary Association] delegates, are saying: we came, we saw and we are going to be honorary ambassadors of Uganda when we go back to our respective regions and, why not, branches.”

The youth must believe in themselves; the powers they possess in making Africa better; and wisely use it to promote cohesiveness, peaceful coexistence and well-developed Africa where respect for diversity is guaranteed.

So, that is what I am lobbying for and come 2023, I believe that one of my priorities as I am in office is to make sure that we have more young people sitting on the table in these discussions as we deliberate, in terms of Africa, where we are, where we would like to go, and ensure that all the young people are also represented in these conversations.”

Some of us decided to come together to form an organization that will provide the need specially for the communities, most especially the youth. In African culture, for those who understand, youth are to be seen and not be heard. And this started in our good old days when we were taught that you respect your elders and just keep quite. But I'll like to say that things have changed dramatically and we'll like to thank those who have contributed to changing the attitude of the government, of the culture and ensuring that things move forward.