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Introduction

The role of young people in development planning cannot be overemphasized, considering the enormous resources at their disposal. Youth are innovative - they have the best ideas, which can be translated to serve as indicators for development initiatives. They are energetic, have zeal and enthusiasm, and can contribute meaningfully to intellectually challenging and decision making processes. The linking of young leaders of various backgrounds will facilitate sharing towards a collective process of finding solutions to enable the rapid sustainable development of their communities.

The youth by working to put their ideals into practice can lead Africa out of poverty. DPI through various global, national and local initiatives is working to make the necessary connections to enable the effective imlementation of best practices focusing on education, health care, ICT and sustainable development. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and National Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers(PRSP) (and their equivalents), constitute effective frameworks and provide clear directions for effective youth action at the community level.

Development Partnership is an emerging alliance of young professionals and leaders from all over Africa which seeks to further, in practical terms the United Nations 2015 Initiative and the vision of NEPAD and PRSP’s through well coordinated youth actions at the community level. It is geared towards harnessing the potentials of young leaders in Africa to develop broad based integrated strategies to address the continents development challenges. It will both serve as an advocacy platform and a medium for community based youth actions. It will be a medium through which the visions of young people for their countries will be collected with the hope to act on practical recommendations that will be made on solutions.

 

Vision

We envision an Africa without extreme poverty through sustainable action-based youth partnership for development by 2015

 

Goals and Objectives

•		To serve as a platform through which to ensure that the visions of young Africans are practicalised in on-going and emerging development initiatives at the national and regional levels;
•		To form an alliance of young professionals from various fields of endeavour in order to facilitate information and resource sharing;
•		To support the achievement of the Africa 2015 Initiative by ensuring youth participation in the iplementation of the MDGs and NEPAD;
•		To inspire action based programme indicators to serve as to guide decision in making Poverty Reducation Strategies youth friendly in make youth issues a priority.

 

Frameworks for Action

Millennium Development Goals were adopted by member states of the United Nations at its Millennium Summit in September 2000 and sets clear targets for poverty eradication by 2015. The MDG has eight goals, eighteen targets and thirty eight indicators; and constitutes a major agenda to significantly improve livelihood for poor people in developing nations across the world. The MDGs seek to reduce poverty, improve maternal health and reduce child mortality, ensure education for all, eliminate gender desparity, improve and protect the environment, halt the spread of HIV and institute a global partnership for development.

New Partnership for Africa’s Development is a vision and strategic framework for Africa’s renewal which was adopted at the 31st Summit of the Organisation of African Unity. NEPAD is designed to address current challenges facing the continent. Issues such as the escalating poverty levels, under development and the continued marginalisation of Africa in the Global Economy need a new and radical intervention, spearheaded by African Leaders, to develop a new vision that would guarantee Africa’s renewal. The primary objectives of NEPAD include; i). To eradicate poverty; ii). To place African countries both individually and collectively on a path of sustainable growth and development; iii). Tp halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process and enhance its full and beneficial integration into the global economy; iv). To encourage the empowerment of women.

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers are prepared by national governments in low income countries through a participatory process involving domestic stakeholders as well as external development partners, including the IMF and World Bank. A PRSP describes the macro-economic, structural and social policies and programmes that a country will pursue over several years to promote broadbased growth and reduce poverty as well as external financing needs and associated sources of financing. The core principles of PRSPs approach are that they are country driven, result oriented, comprehensive, partnership oriented and based on long term perspective.

 

Methodology

Development Partnership will focus its work in three core areas:

•		Capacity building for both youth leaders and their organisations for effective, innovative and proactive social change and development actions, and skills based training for sustainable future livelihood.
•		Advocacy on policy issues and at around major international development that have direct impact at the national level. To demonstrate the ability of young people to participate adequately in decision making and implementation. DP will serve as a platform to further the work of the Millennium Project through promoting the idea proposed in its report on investing in Development, the NEPAD Secretariat and at the national level as may be apprioprate by contributing a constructive youth voice to the efforts towards debt relief, increased aid and fair trade for Africa.
•		Resource Mobilisation to support on-going and proposed youth activities targeted at national development. As a point in case, Development Partnership will work with major donors to generate funds to support the effort of a young person to provide electricity wires to homes in rural Kenya, in order to facilitate his community’s connection to the national grid.