• Child Participation

The round-table meeting was a joint initiative of The African Child Policy Forum and Plan International. ACPF is an independent, pan-African policy and advocacy  organisation working for the realisation of children’s rights. Deeply committed to child participation, the Forum has initiated activities such as child and youth polling, and projects in music, art and media.

Plan International is a child-focused development organisation with substantial experience in child participation, especially in the field of media. This initiative is based on the conviction that Africa’s children could and should actively participate in voicing their views on matters that concern them.  The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) was adopted by the African Union in 2001, aiming to address the many challenges facing Africa today, including escalating poverty levels, underdevelopment and the continued marginalisation of Africa. However, concern has been raised regarding the limited popular consultation in the implementation of NEPAD programmes. Young people are one of the groups whose voices are not being heard in the development and implementation of NEPAD programmes.

In Africa today, the majority of the population are under the age of 25. These young people are truly the future of the continent, but also, despite their young age, they are already important social actors and economic contributors. Their experiences and opinions are crucial for the development of the society at large. Attempts to include young people in policy making and political decision making have been made across Africa. Young people are also active in various clubs and political organizations, and are expressing their views through numerous media projects. Despite these initiatives and activities few issues concerning young people appear on  Africa’s political agenda, including those that directly relate to NEPAD’s overall objectives. It is clear that NEPAD’s success is critically dependent on the extent to which it takes the needs and participation of Africa’s young people into account. ACPF and Plan International, through Plan Canada and with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), organised a roundtable meeting to initiate dialogue on how to improve and increase young people’s involvement in NEPAD.