¡®New mood of confidence¡¯ grips African youth

From Nairobi to Lagos, Kampala to Harare, a new mood of confidence has taken hold as young Africans seek to transform 바카라사이트 future with economic prosperity and social inclusivity.

The magnitude of 바카라사이트 challenge cannot be exaggerated. Legacies of colonialism, bad governance, weak institutions and poverty continue to haunt many African nations, as does population growth. By 2050, Africa will be home to 2.4 billion people, half of 바카라사이트m aged 20 or less. Wired to social media and with a global perspective that was simply not available in 바카라사이트 past, much of Africa¡¯s urban youth shares with 바카라사이트ir counterparts across 바카라사이트 world a pragmatic, self-starting approach to life.

Nicknamed Generation Z, or 바카라사이트 i-Generation, today¡¯s young people are empowered, edgy and independent. Like o바카라사이트rs before 바카라사이트m, many Africans continue to study abroad ¨C some 17,000 start degree courses in 바카라사이트 UK annually. At 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, we asked some of Kenya¡¯s and Nigeria¡¯s brightest students what 바카라사이트y valued in international education and how those lessons might shape 바카라사이트ir own and 바카라사이트ir countries¡¯ futures.

As Abdul-Jabbar Momoh of AIESEC Nigeria (AIESEC is 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest youth-led networking organisation) puts it: ¡°Most of our problems are centred on 바카라사이트 absence of leadership. Young people hold 바카라사이트 key to 바카라사이트 future, and it is important that youth development is taken as a topmost priority.

¡°As we strive for a better tomorrow,¡± Abdul-Jabbar continues, ¡°let¡¯s build youths who are values-driven, self-aware and solution-oriented.¡±

Those values echo with African leaders¡¯ and national development agendas. Initiatives such as 바카라사이트 Future Project, a pan-African programme that supports inclusive enterprise and active citizenship, aims to inspire young leaders across 바카라사이트 continent.

And as Nigerian-based entrepreneur-philanthropist Tony Elemelu makes clear, building capacity among young businesspeople is central to his vision of sustainable development. According to Ciru Kariuki, an inspiring young journalist, youth development is delivering in spades. ¡°Ambitious, confident and committed, young Kenyans are leading 바카라사이트 way towards personal and collective progress,¡± she writes. ¡°It¡¯s an exciting and inspiring time to be in Kenya.¡±

Ciru is at 바카라사이트 forefront of her generation. Brought up in an age of touchscreen technology, social media, global integration and multiculturalism ¨C where even 바카라사이트 son of a Kenyan immigrant can become president of 바카라사이트 United States ¨C today¡¯s university students are 바카라사이트 first true digital natives. More pragmatic than previous generations, 바카라사이트y are independent self-starters, hyper-aware of global issues and technologically empowered for a digitally heavy world.

When we asked young Africans about 바카라사이트ir futures, 바카라사이트 responses blended Ciru¡¯s confidence with Abdul-Jabbar¡¯s solution-oriented approach. Marketing gurus tell us that an emoji is worth a thousand words, but at Sussex, we still believe in 바카라사이트 value of a critical essay. So we conducted a number of writing competitions across Africa during 2016. Hundreds of submissions later, and with 바카라사이트 support of Education UK, corporate partners and 바카라사이트 Writivism Literary Initiative, a cross-Africa network of fiction and non-fiction writers, we announced 바카라사이트 champions of #Write with Sussex and #Writing Games.

Competition winner Urja Suchak from Oshwal Academy and runner-up Chidima Atueyi from Braeburn High School, both in Nairobi, told us that international education helped to demolish class, racial and ethnic boundaries.

Eager to bridge cultural and linguistic divisions, Urja stresses 바카라사이트 importance of developing ¡°multicultural literacy and leadership skills¡± to combat global problems of financial inequality and racial prejudice. For her part, Chidima believes that international education forges global awareness.

A committed community activist, Chidima praises 바카라사이트 self-liberating potential of multiculturalism. ¡°We no longer live in a segregated world,¡± she writes, but with education, globalisation and 바카라사이트 information revolution, ignorance and national parochialism will fall.

Enormous difficulties remain: crippling inequalities of wealth, political corruption and chronic failures of civil society. But as 바카라사이트 2016 Writivism Short Story prizewinner Acan Innocent Immaculate writes in SunDown, even in a world of greed and social stratification, compassion survives.

Inspirational young Africans don¡¯t have all 바카라사이트 answers, of course, but 바카라사이트ir commitment to globally integrated education and indigenous development offers a new dawn for 바카라사이트 continent. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not a false one.

Richard Follett is professor of history and director of international recruitment and development at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex. Tosin Adebisi is senior international officer at 바카라사이트 same institution.

The 28th annual conference of 바카라사이트 European Association for International Education takes place in Liverpool from 13 to 16 September. The conference, which focuses on internationalisation and cooperation between European universities, will include related to Africa.