Nigeria hosts 300 at YALI conference
At least 300 young graduates aged 20-25 across West African countries are at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Badagry, Lagos attending the Young African Leaders Initiative, (YALI) conference.
The five-week long event is the flagship programme of Mandel Washington Fellowship sponsored by the United States Consulate.
Their mood was ecstatic during their colourful welcome dinner on Sunday. Attired in their national clothes, they danced, hugged, bantered and dined.
They were optimistic of their ability to turn African sad stories into testimonies.
The YALI programme gathers a multitude of about 1000 young Africans aged for six weeks of intensive training and networking with leaders in their communities yearly.
YALI also grants participants access to free online courses in topics ranging from climate change entrepreneurship, human rights, business management, public policy, civic leadership, as well as well as entrepreneurship.
A participant, Yusuf Nurudeen Temilola, president, Peace building, Advocacy, Climate action and Empowerment (PACE), which trains young Nigerians to promote what the group’s name stands for.
The former Students Union President of the Lagos State University (LASU), said: “In PACE, our task is to galvanise youths on the need to seek peace or advocate it in a troubled situation. We are empowering fellow youths to take charge of the future because that future is not tomorrow but now. It is, therefore, our joy to be a part of YALI as I am optimistic that experiences garnered here will be useful.”
A participant from Ghana, Ikliahh Ziblimrun, runs a non-governmental organization, Empowering and Transforming Communities, and I-Learn project, which gather books from cities to distribute to children in rural communities free of charge, while also teaching them to read and write.
She spoke of her expectations at the conference.
“I intend to learn much more here. I see this platform as an opportunity to link up with other young minds like me who are doing a similar or something so similar to what I do in Ghana,” she said.
Massandg Toure from Cote De Voire, has not started her enterprise on digital education for pupils yet. But she is optimistic of fresh ideas from the programme.
“I see this as a community development project and also a business. It is a project which I will do outside my immediate employment as a graduate of Banking and Finance. This is the reason I joined YALI to network and sell my business idea to others. Nigeria is also a very big country and I wish to know how a project such as mine are being executed successfully here despite that I’ am from a French-speaking country,” Toure concluded.
Earlier, ASCON Director-General, Mrs. Cecilia Gayya, and the Director, YALI, Mrs. Shola Safo-Daodu, challenged the young graduates to up their ante.
Mrs. Gayya expressed her joy that ASCON and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), which houses YALI regional centre, were co-sponsoring the event beyond the two mega sponsors- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and MasterCard Foundations.
She urged participants to see themselves as leaders by taking up responsibilities aimed at rewriting the African story.
Mrs. Shoal-Shafo urged participants to emulate some young Africans who are making Africa proud both at the home front and diaspora.
“I have been to some countries across West Africa and saw some young minds doing great things and making Africa proud. This is the path we want you all to follow because this is the essence of YALI,” she said.
