My Takeaways from WYA Africa’s 9th Emerging Leaders Conference

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Between the 14th  and 16th of November 2018, I was privileged to attend the World Youth Alliance Africa 9th Annual Emerging Leaders Conference in Strathmore University at the Microsoft Auditorium. The sole purpose of the event was to create a platform where we could have youth from all over our continent interact with leaders and policy makers on current global issues and give them an in depth understanding on the happenings in the world around them while giving them a fresh perspective on emerging topics in the global arena.

This year, the main topic of discussion was on Human Dignity and Bioethics and a keen interest on the African Youths Perspective on Bioethics, Migration and Livelihood Solutions. The event was graced with delegates from; Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, South Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya.

The first day kicked off with discussions on the topic of Bioethics, the topic was a very relevant topic especially in today’s technological world and with the advancements in the health sector. I got to have an in depth understanding of the topic of discussion which were well brought into perspective highlighting issues such as surrogacy, research ethics, and euthanasia, among others. The conclusion made was that human life should be respected and the dignity of every individual recognized in the wake of technological advancement.

The second day’s topic of discussion was migration. A very pertinent topic especially in the current times in Africa’s situation. I got to understand that most African youth migrate in search of greener pastures, fleeing war and some even due to climatic conditions. Migration not only affects the young migrant but the family that is left behind as well as the whole country at large. Migration poses a great risk of exploitation and trafficking, especially to the youth and children.

On the third day, which was the climax of the grand event, we got to discuss about livelihood solutions and everything about money. The guest speakers were thorough and went in on matters arising from entrepreneurship, investing as a youth, insurance, and the most interesting bit, on pension. Most youth don’t pay close attention to matters pertaining pension, but the speaker of the day broke down the topic to a more comprehensible aspect and yes, it is important to plan for your retirement at an early age. Something that I look forward to doing.

The conference ended on a high note with all the objectives achieved. The fusion of culture at the event was just beautiful and having the African youth craving for knowledge and going forth to seek it was just recommendable. For certain, knowledge is power!


Written by Sandra Uwase, a WYA Africa Batch 3 2018 intern

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