Tap youth ideas to create more jobs, African leaders urged

African governments have been asked to support innovative ideas from the youth to tackle the menace of youth unemployment, a non-governmental organisation official has said.

Shofco CEO Kennedy Odede says the youth in Africa should be involved in promoting investment opportunities. 

He says other continents which have made a giant leap in development and are technologically advanced have done so by tapping into the innovative ideas of the youth.

Mr Odede who spoke during the TIME's TIME100 Impact Awards in Kigali, Rwanda, on Friday, said the solution to the challenges facing the youth can be found through good leadership and implementing the innovative ideas they come up with.

He received TIME's prestigious TIME100 Impact Awards alongside other eminent African personalities, including former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

President William Ruto was also named one of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business for 2023 by the US-based Time Magazine.

Besides Mr Odede and President Johnson Sirleaf, others feted in Kigali included UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Danai Gurira, social justice humanitarian Ashley Judd, IFAD Rural Youth Advocate Sherrie Silver and African Leadership Group founder Fred Swaniker.

Mr Odede, who was praised for investing in programmes to improve the lives of people living in informal settlements, was among the panellists who discussed 'Pathways to Urban Prosperity' at the awards ceremony held at the Kigali Convention Centre.

Citing the recently imposed five per cent tax on online content creators in Kenya, he called on governments to consider removing the many taxes that deprive the youth of the opportunity to fully harness their creativity.

He said that the path to growth lies in investing in Africa and empowering the youth who are the world's largest workforce.