Ouagadougou: The Ministry of Youth Affairs, led by Minister Roland Somda, convened a meeting in Ouagadougou with its partners to enhance coordination and actively engage Burkina Faso’s younger generation in the value chain. The meeting, noted by AIB, marks the second of its kind aimed at aligning the efforts of various development partners to better impact youth.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Minister Somda emphasized the necessity of coordinating partner contributions with the overarching vision of the highest authorities for youth empowerment. He stressed that the priority is to mobilize young people to become pivotal contributors to Burkina Faso’s development at this critical juncture in its history. The Minister conveyed that partners must align their efforts with the government’s vision for youth engagement and support the department’s strategy for youth care.
Minister Somda expressed satisfaction with the institutionalization of this collaborative framework, which allows for quarterly and as-needed reviews of progress in implementing the youth-focused vision. He highlighted the importance of guiding partner actions to effectively meet the urgent needs of young people, emphasizing employment, financing opportunities, and integration into the value chain.
The Ministry aims to cultivate a generation of young people skilled in production and transformation, reducing dependency and fostering self-sufficiency, which aligns with the President of Faso’s vision. Minister Somda acknowledged the collaborative commitment to addressing the needs of the youth, who constitute 78% of the population.
He outlined plans to transform existing centers for listening and dialogue into modern hubs equipped with digital resources. The partners have pledged support for this initiative, and efforts are underway to deploy the integration opportunity referent initiative across 302 rural communes and four urban regional capitals. A mid-term review of the project will be conducted soon.