{"id":164424,"date":"2025-02-05T15:35:20","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T15:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/?p=164424"},"modified":"2025-02-19T11:55:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T11:55:41","slug":"dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ONE Champion Fareed Ibrahim calls upon African leaders to prioritize education, gender equity, and digital inclusion ahead of the AU Summit 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Africa, young people make up more than half of the continent’s population. Yet, millions remain undereducated, unemployed, and unable to access the opportunities that modern technology offers. Women, in particular, face even greater challenges due to systemic barriers, gender inequality, and socio-cultural norms that stifle their potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Pivotal Moment: The African Union Summit 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the African Union Summit 2025 approaches, our leaders have a golden opportunity to break these barriers and create a brighter future for every young person, where there is equal access to education, digital skills, and gender equity to drive the continent\u2019s development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Technology and Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is crucial to support young people, especially women in today\u2019s digital age, by integrating technology to open doors to innovation, entrepreneurship, and global opportunities. This will enable young people to thrive, compete globally, and contribute to a technology-driven world, breaking cycles of poverty and fostering transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a ONE Champion and founder of the Smart Aid Initiative<\/a>, I have committed myself to providing access to quality education and opportunities for more than 2,000 young girls and women through our Equal-Access Project. This initiative equipped women with digital, civic, and employability skills, empowering them to become change-makers who drive social impact and independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fareed facilitating a session in Kaduna State, Nigeria, to enhance the capacities of Community Based Organizations and Youth-led networks to leverage on Technology to advocate for opportunities and rights of women.
Photo Credit: Smart Aid Initiative & UNFPA<\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These efforts, alongside the impactful work of other ONE Champions and changemakers across Africa, demonstrate what is possible when we unite to address inequality. However, the work of individuals and organizations cannot succeed in isolation. We need our leaders to step up, commit, and take bold action to break the barriers holding Africa back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The African Union\u2019s Agenda 2063 outlines a vision for an inclusive and prosperous continent, but how long must we wait to drive this vision forward? The future is here! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear African Leaders,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the African Union Summit 2025 is here, and we urge you to commit to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Providing more leadership opportunities for women<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Allocating more resources<\/strong> to expand access to digital skills, tech hubs, internet connectivity, digital tools, and online learning platforms in underserved communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Championing advocacy<\/strong> to encourage women\u2019s participation in STEM fields, including scholarships, mentorship, and career development initiatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Launch campaigns<\/strong> to combat stereotypes and encourage families to support girls in pursuing education and technology careers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    A Message to Young Africans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is not just a call to our leaders – it is a call to us as well. Engage your leaders, demand accountability, and advocate for policies that prioritize education, gender equity, and digital inclusion. Together, we can create a future where no one is left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    African leaders must create an enabling environment where a young educated and digitally skilled population can drive innovation, improve governance, and address pressing challenges like climate change and public health crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Time to Act is Now<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    African leaders have the power to shape the future by making bold decisions today. We young people are ready to lead and build a greater continent, but we need your support, tools, and opportunities to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The African Union Summit 2025 is not just another meeting, it is a chance to break barriers and set the continent on a path to prosperity. By prioritizing education, digital skills, and gender equity, leaders can ensure that Africa\u2019s future is not just bright but inclusive and sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The time to act is now because the future is already here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Fareed facilitating a session in Kaduna State, Nigeria, to enhance the capacities of Community Based Organizations and Youth-led networks to leverage on Technology to advocate for opportunities and rights of women.\n\nPhoto Credit: Smart Aid Initiative & UNFPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    ONE Champion Fareed Ibrahim calls upon African leaders to prioritize education, gender equity, and digital inclusion ahead of the AU Summit 2025 In Africa, young people make up more than half of the continent’s population. Yet, millions remain undereducated, unemployed, and unable to access the opportunities that modern technology offers. Women, in particular, face even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":164434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"161851,161843,161761,162067,162046,162078","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[200],"tags":[239,348,347,340,346],"topic":[],"contributor":[349],"one_content_audience":[],"one_content_type":[],"one_content_tone":[],"class_list":["post-164424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-africa","tag-african-union","tag-au","tag-feature","tag-one-activist","contributor-fareed-ibrahim"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation. - ONE.org Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ONE Champion Fareed Ibrahim calls upon African leaders to prioritize education, gender equity, and digital inclusion ahead of the AU Summit 2025 In Africa, young people make up more than half of the continent’s population. Yet, millions remain undereducated, unemployed, and unable to access the opportunities that modern technology offers. Women, in particular, face even […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ONE.org Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ONEinAfrica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-05T15:35:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-19T11:55:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2206\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ONEinAfrica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ONEinAfrica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation.\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-05T15:35:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-19T11:55:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\"},\"wordCount\":664,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa\",\"African Union\",\"AU\",\"Feature\",\"ONE Activist\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Feature\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\",\"name\":\"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation. - ONE.org Africa\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-05T15:35:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-19T11:55:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":2206},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/\",\"name\":\"ONE.org\",\"description\":\"Driving economic opportunities and healthy lives in Africa\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation. - ONE.org Africa","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation.","og_description":"ONE Champion Fareed Ibrahim calls upon African leaders to prioritize education, gender equity, and digital inclusion ahead of the AU Summit 2025 In Africa, young people make up more than half of the continent’s population. Yet, millions remain undereducated, unemployed, and unable to access the opportunities that modern technology offers. Women, in particular, face even […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/","og_site_name":"ONE.org Africa","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ONEinAfrica","article_published_time":"2025-02-05T15:35:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-19T11:55:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":2206,"url":"http:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ONEinAfrica","twitter_site":"@ONEinAfrica","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation.","datePublished":"2025-02-05T15:35:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-19T11:55:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/"},"wordCount":664,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg","keywords":["africa","African Union","AU","Feature","ONE Activist"],"articleSection":["Feature"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/","url":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/","name":"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation. - ONE.org Africa","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-05T15:35:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-19T11:55:41+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/02\/Cover-Art-2-1-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":2206},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/stories\/dear-african-leaders-the-future-is-here-empower-the-next-generation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dear African Leaders: The Future is Here, Empower the Next Generation."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/","name":"ONE.org","description":"Driving economic opportunities and healthy lives in Africa","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"ONE.org Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164424"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=164424"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=164424"},{"taxonomy":"one_content_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/one_content_audience?post=164424"},{"taxonomy":"one_content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/one_content_type?post=164424"},{"taxonomy":"one_content_tone","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/one_content_tone?post=164424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}