UNDP representative in Lesotho calls for expanding youth opportunities in Africa
In a column for Nation Kenya, UNDP Representative in Lesotho Jacqueline Salin Oluyea called on African states and institutions to move from symbolic support for young people to giving them access to financing, markets, mentorship and decision-making. She stressed that young people do not need to be saved; they seek trust and opportunities to implement their own ideas.
Oluyea described a conversation with a young entrepreneur who had an idea and the determination to develop a small business but lacked access to affordable financing, reliable markets, technical support, mentorship and institutions ready to support her ambitions. In the author's view, young people are often called the future while being deprived of the tools to influence the present.
From participation to influence
Oluyea considers isolated training sessions, consultations, competitions or public events for Youth Day to be insufficient. In her assessment, real change is possible when education, financing, skills, innovation and market access are combined into a single system. Such an approach should help young people move from ideas to enterprises, from informal activity to decent work, and from participating in discussions to leadership.
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The author also warned against replacing influence with formal presence. Inviting young representatives to discussions after decisions have been made does not mean including them in the process, she noted. Youth councils, advisory bodies, innovation hubs and community platforms should, in her view, receive mandates, resources, feedback mechanisms and the ability to influence budgets, policies and the work of institutions.
Economic opportunities for youth
Oluyea called youth empowerment a component of economic policy rather than charity or a public communications tool. She noted that restricting access to productive work, affordable financing, land, procurement, technology and value chains deprives countries of innovation, tax revenues, social cohesion and hope.
Support for young women
Separately, the UNDP representative stressed the barriers faced by young women: unpaid care work, safety concerns, limited access to finance and digital technologies, harmful social norms and fewer pathways to leadership. She also pointed out that mentorship should become part of development infrastructure, as it conveys not only advice but also confidence, discipline, connections and courage.
