By Stanley Senya
Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – Mr Paul Frimpong, the Executive Director of the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA), has said young people must be empowered as intergenerational agents for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
He said, “for an initiative such as BRI, which seeks to accelerate shared growth and sustainable development around the world through enhanced connectivity, young people must be both active participants and significant beneficiaries”.
Mr Frimpong was speaking at the parallel session on ‘Youth Development and BRI’, in Beijing, China.
In 2013, China’s President, Xi Jinping, first officially announced the BRI.
This has become a global initiative aimed at building critical infrastructures to create connectivity spanning the three continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe to facilitate greater global growth and development.
As of August 2023, 155 countries were listed as having signed up to the BRI and nearly 75 per cent of the world’s population and more than half of its GDP are represented by the participating nations.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI, and the forum has attracted over 4000 delegates from over 140 countries worldwide.
“BRI is an intergenerational global vision that has been implemented and is already unlocking limitless opportunities. It’s success in the generations ahead depends on the active involvement of young people today,” he added.
Mr. Frimpong said statistics showed that Africa was the continent with most young people: 40 per cent of the continent’s population was under the age of 15.
He called on all key stakeholders tasked with championing the next phase of the BRI to put the youth at the center of their initiatives and support youth-led programs that seek to propel deeper understanding about the BRI, especially in Africa.
His centre, ACCPA, has been at the forefront of building multi-level engagements on key topics that’re shaping perspectives on Africa-China relations.
GNA