Sharm El Sheikh, Arab Republic of Egypt - 17 December 2019: Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, addressed the third edition of the World Youth Forum organized in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from 14 to 17 December 2019 under the auspices of President Abdelfattah El Sisi, Chairperson of the African Union. The event was attended by over 7000 participants from Africa and worldwide.
The youth forum presented a unique opportunity to highlight the perspective of youth on the challenges facing young people today while ensuring that the voices of youth are properly represented in decisions making, with view of spreading a message of peace, prosperity, harmony and progress.

The issues discussed during this international youth forum included migration crises, displaced persons and refugees, democracy and human rights, stability and development, globalization and cultural identity, as well as technology development , social media and their impact on the population.

Talking at the high-level panel on the challenges and prospects of sustainable development in Africa, Commissioner Abou-Zeid said that Africa has the opportunity to benefit from its youth as key player for the socio-economic structural transformation of the Continent. “They are the energy and creativity of the future.” added Dr Abou-Zeid

The AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy talked about the progress in achieving sustainable development in the Continent and underlined success stories including the progress in implementing the flagship projects of the Agenda 2063 of the African Union. She further stressed the need to harness new innovations for providing job opportunities to youth.

“Africans youth are the driving force and need to take ownership of the positive narrative to become ambassadors for positive change. It is important to disseminate to the world your inspiring success stories!” said Dr Abou-Zeid urging participants to contribute to changing the narrative about Africa.

Commissioner Abou-Zeid also highlighted the inspiring achievements of youth in Africa in the various sectors especially in embracing the digital revolution. She talked about the innovation hubs throughout the Continent and the innovation solutions that are being found by African youth to solve African problems and dissolve barriers to trade and other services in Africa”.

“Africa has already demonstrated its capacity to harness digital technologies. This have helped the Continent leapfrog traditional models of development and Africa’s future will be built by its young entrepreneurs” underscored Commissioner Abou-Zeid

Furthermore, the AU Commissioner talked about the ongoing efforts, led by the AU Commission in establishing an inclusive Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa. “This Strategy will be presented to the next Head of States Summit in February 2020 for adoption. The vision is to harness digital technologies and innovation to transform African societies and economies to promote Africa's integration, generate inclusive economic growth, stimulate job creation, break the digital divide, and eradicate poverty for the continent’s socio-economic development and ensure Africa’s ownership of modern tools of digital management”, she concluded.