Africa today is experiencing the most rapid urbanization in the world and remains a young population with 65% of her over 1.1billion population under the age of 35years. Population Reference Bureau (PRB) projects Africa’s population to more than double, rising from 1.1 billion today to 2.4 billion by 2050. Africa’s youth bulge presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Rapid population growth makes it difficult for economies to create enough jobs to lift large numbers of people out of poverty. Policy makers at national and sub-regional levels are overwhelmed by challenges of unemployment, quality and access to education and basic services like health required in tapping Africa’s demographic dividend. The implications of this challenge poses intractable threat to Africa: requiring collaborative efforts in addressing it.
Building on the themes and outcomes of previous African Youth and Governance Conferences (AYGCs) held annually from 2009 to 2015, the 8th AYGC, Johannesburg 2016 will provide a platform for the young participants to interrogate critical continental and global issues of relevance to youth development in Africa under the conference broad theme
“INVESTING IN AFRICA’S HUMAN CAPITAL FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT”.