Building the Next Generation: Securing Better Future Opportunities for Children and Young People in Multicultural Societies

The promise of Africa’s future lies on its large number of young people. This reality has for a long time been cited by various experts whose arguments in the catalyst journal of ideas from the Bush Institute (2007) avers that when looking at Africa’s future, it is realized that the continent’s large growing young population is both an asset and a potential risk. The Bush Institute as also is the view of Mandela Institute Observe that half the continent is under 20 and all 10 of the world’s youngest countries are in Africa. If well harnessed, nurtured and developed, then these statistics represent a powerful workforce for the next several decades. Besides, the “demographic dividend” portrays an appropriate pool of future innovators, leaders, entrepreneurs and industrial players, from local communities to the national level.

The 34 Fice International World Congress 2019 theme, “Better Future Opportunities for children and young people in multi-cultural societies comes at a time when many African nations are grappling with its rapidly emerging and growing youthful population who have insatiable passion, bigger dreams and visions for the continent at large and their respective nations and communities in particular.

However, one question remains: “How can we secure better future opportunities for Africa’s children and young people?”

This paper seeks to expound on the above broad subject by highlighting some of the critical risks and opportunities for children and young people in Africa, and more so in Kenya as a way of dichotomizing WHAT MUST be done to secure the better future opportunities for our children and young people as envisaged in the Africa Union Agenda 2063 and Kenya’s vision 2030.