The continent of Africa is characterized by problems of poverty, disease and ignorance, social unrest and lack of democratic traditions. Although efforts undertaken in the past have introduced some positive changes, Africa still has along way to go to overcome the problems of underdevelopment. For Africa to live in peace, democracy and prosperity, a series of efforts need to be undertaken in the political, social, economic and cultural fields.

     Toward this end, it is imperative to empower the youth in order to bring about a behavioral change necessary for the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The aim of the Millennium is, of course, to reduce poverty by half, ensure universal quality education, gender equality and reduce mortality rate and halt the spread of HIV/AIDS and achieve environmental sustainability by 2015.

     Whether Africa can meet these goals in the decade ahead depends on the commitment and dedication of its governments, the international community and how effectively the youth are mobilized towards the achievement of the goals set at the Millennium Summit. Of course, one thing must be clear in this process. The future of Africa is in the hands of the youth who are the architects of the future of the continent. It is, therefore, imperative to invest in the all round development and education of the youth who are the future caretakers of Africa. This new generation of young men and women of Africa is the force that would uplift Africa from its present state of condition to a higher level of development. In this connection, in the effort to lay the foundation for the future generation of Africa, education will naturally help to bring about modernization, equip people with knowledge and skills essential to make people become economically independent.

     On the other hand, there is concrete evidence showing that Africa has embarked on the path to achieve the UN Millennium Goals. Some efforts have made by some governments in Africa to boost the endeavor of the youth for better result. These efforts are to be hailed and encouraged as they are aimed at empowering the future leaders of Africa to bring about change in the interest of the people of Africa. However, these efforts alone are not enough. Other African countries need to emulate them and encourage and stimulate the active participation of the youth in the national and regional efforts to achieve the goals of the Millennium.

     What is more? The Millennium goals set for 2015 can be achieved if the international community, African governments and the people take into consideration the needs of the youth and provide the resources to facilitate the active participation of the youth. The real way to achieve the goals of the Millennium, however, rests in the hands of the youth.

Of course, UN agencies, African governments and the people should exert collective effort to mobilize the youth on the path of peace and social progress. African governments should introduce policies aimed at empowering the next generation of Africans to handle political, economic, social and cultural matters on their own.

The provision of resources, opportunities and platform is a necessary prerequisite in the effort to realize the Millennium Development Goals. To this end, African youth should be allowed to organize themselves in the rural and urban areas to form independent youth associations. Public awareness campaigns, trainings and discussions pertaining to the Millennium goals at national and continental level will help to gradually increase the involvement of the youth to achieve gender equality, prosperity and peace. The youth are in the forefront of the struggle to promote democracy and good governance. Private press need to systematically advance youth awareness campaigns to foster awareness of democratic values.

     An important step in the effort to realize of the Millennium Goals is the recognition of the responsibility of the youth in nation building. This can serve as the starting point for governments and international community to support the activities of the youth to meet the goals of the Millennium. In order to reach the goals by 2015, countries of the Africa will need to introduce socio-economic changes that will influence the participation of the youth. The media and the international community need to encourage governments to live up to their words to meet the goals of the Millennium.

     Furthermore, national youth commissions need to be set up in the individual country. These commissions will be responsible to oversee and evaluate the level of democratic transformation achieved in the respective country. The evaluation results will have to be reported to the African Union (AU) and UN.The latter in turn will compile a report on the state of democracy on the continent, which will serve as the basis for the exchange of experience useful for further deepening the democratic process.

     Although the efforts so far undertaken to overcome the problems of poverty, social unrest, disease, and ignorance is an encouraging one, the future of Africa depends on the vision, commitment and active participation of youth who are the architects of Africa as the continent is headed toward the implementation of the goals of the Millennium by 2015.