On Africa Youth Day, Sobhi Congratulate Young People

Celebrated by African youth on the first of November of every year, African Youth Charter was adopted since the 2006.

In his address, the minister emphasized that the political leadership in Egypt under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has accorded great attention to supporting African young and providing them with training through qualification fellowships provided by Egypt, in addition to specialized technical fellowships provided by the Egyptian authorities and ministries, all of which contribute to widening the horizons of development and popularizing experiences and cultures in various fields and specialties.

[caption id="attachment_166432" align="alignright" width="199"] Sobhi congratulated all young people[/caption]

Moreover, Sobhy presented to the African young a balance sheet of activities, to confirm the national leadership's determination to head south and uphold the values of African unity with the continent’s people, not only through rhetoric but with real action on the ground, as well as upholding the value of cooperation (inter-south).

He further pointed out that the Egyptian government, represented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in cooperation with many relevant ministries and institutions, has carried out dozens of continental youth activities in support of the African Union’s initiative "to train one million young men and women by 2021, also known as the “1 Million by 2021” Initiative.

The initiative came in conjunction with Egypt's chairmanship of the African Union in 2019, and in the forefront of it was the announcement made by the president during the World Youth Forum, declaring Aswan the “Capital of African youth”.

Egypt hosted many tournaments and events in 2019/2020, serving the aforementioned vision. These include the Africa Cup of Nations that was hosted by Egypt after a 13-years hiatus. For the 1st time in the history of the tournament, 24 teams participated; and the event was launched with a legendary opening befitting Africa’s history.

Egypt also hosted Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the participation of eight African teams; and the Blind African Weightlifting Championships.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports also organized many programs in 2020, most notably the Special Olympics 1st Pan African Games, held under the auspices of President Sisi, the Arab-African Youth Forum in Aswan, with the participation of more than 1,500 African and Arab youth, the African Youth Forum on Citizenship and Development with the participation of 20 African countries, the Nasser Fellowship for African Leadership, held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Mustafa Madbouly.

120 young men and women from 43 African countries, the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps -10th Cohort took part in the event, which was held under the auspices of President Sisi, with the participation of 200 young men and women from 54 African countries, marking the largest volunteer program on the Continent, and the Oscar of African Creativity.

Furthermore, Egypt hosted the CAF ceremony for the Best African Player Award 2019 in Hurghada, and launched the 1st cultural Nile Tour for African youth that set off from Cairo passing through Luxor and Aswan to consolidate the concept of cooperation between the people of the Nile Basin countries.

Egypt also hosted the World Diving Championship, becoming the 1st in Africa to host the competition; it is hosting the World Squash Tournament until 2022.

On the level of continental and international events, Sobhi congratulated the Egyptian youth, representatives of Africa in international sporting forums, for winning the World Handball Championship, becoming the first African team to win the championship.

He also congratulated Egypt's Bowling team for winning 1st place in the African Nations Championship, congratulated Egyptians for breaking the record in the African Games with 273 medals, compared to 217 in 2015; he congratulated Egypt’s Volleyball team, for winning 4th place at the 2019 U-19 Volleyball World Championship representing Africa.

Sobhi further noted that the Egyptian government, with all its sectors and institutions, has been working in full swing to serve the African youth and achieve African cooperation in various disciplines and fields.

In conclusion, the minister stated that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been keen on cooperating and coordinating with African bodies and institutions.

Sobhi also stressed the role of the African Bureau as a specialized unit concerned with African affairs within the ministry; he announced that The Nasser Leadership Fellowship 2nd Cohort is set to be launched after the great success of the 1st cohort.

The African continent has celebrated “Africa Youth Day” on the first of November of every year, since the African Youth Charter was adopted at the Banjul Summit in 2006.

The day seeks to always remind decision-makers of the rights and roles of youth and their contribution to social change, economic growth and sustainable development throughout the African society, in addition to directing youth energy to enhance the efforts towards achieving sustainable development in Africa.