By Sulayman Waan
The African Youth Commission (AYC) on Tuesday 26th March has elected its new executive who would steer the affairs of the commission for two years which was held in a local hotel.
The election was held under heel of its biannual congress which coincided with the Pan Africa Youth Conference.
Meanwhile, only members of the AYC consortium were qualified to partake in the congress which comprise of The Gambia, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Liberia despite the coming together of many African countries.
The new executive includes-Natalie Sonia Makundane Kyamutetera, a Ugandan as the Chairperson for AYC, Flomo M. Maiwo, a Liberian as Deputy Chairperson, Moussa Fara Diop, a Senegalese as a Commissioner for Political Affair, Yennifer Agbdy, Nigerian as Commissioner for Gender, Dennis Sangcle Keis, Kenyan as Commissioner for Peace and Security and Patrick Michaelson Gibrilla of Sierra Leone as the Commissioner of Trade and Industry.
In her remarks, Arlette Alexis, Chairperson for the AYC electoral body described the congress as the second edition of AYC congress since inception, adding that her office received twenty three applicants from the AYC member states but only three countries were qualified to participate in the congress.
However, Legenju N. Vitalise, the President of Cameroon National Youth Council objected to the decision by the officials of AYC. He stated that any country that did not join the AYC consortium is not qualified to participate in the congress.
He then said that: “they should allow us to contest on behalf of the Central African countries and pay the registration when they go back home.”
“We communicated with our people at home so as to send us money but the Gambia’s banks had been closed. You should have informed us earlier so that we could pay the money,” he argued.
In his respond, Lamin Darboe, the executive director for The Gambia National Youth Council said that: “He commended the Cameroon national for expressing their democratic rights before but the information regarding the congress was published on the AYC’s website for every person to be familiar with.”
Boubakar Yougbare, the former chairperson also stated that Mr. Vatalise was late to make the objection, adding that he supposed to voice his view before the congress commenced. Nevertheless, he allowed Mr. Vatalise to table his motion.
Meanwhile, the motion was second by a participant but the assembly rejected it which makes Cameroon unqualified to partake in the congress.
In a sideline interview, Natalie Sonia Makundane, the elected executive chairperson for AYC commended the participants for empowering her, saying that she is looking forward to strengthen the commission so as to lay a strong foundation for the African youths.
“We also want to establish a national consortium in every country in Africa because we need to have the voice of every youth, “she stated.
Chairperson Natalie added that: “Our top priorities are employment and entrepreneurship, health, good governance and human rights as well as peace and security. Anything to do with the development of the youths will be the forefront of the commission,” he affirmed.
She noted that her office will commence to approach it development partners regarding the development of youths because they want to start work as soon as possible while vowed to execute their function to the best interest of the continent’s youths.
