Youth Ministry discusses popularizing experience in planning, empowerment

CAIRO – 8 November 2019: The Ministry of Youth and Sports has discussed ways to popularize the pilot Egyptian experience in the areas of planning, governance and youth empowerment at the round-table event of “Africa Corridor.”

The Ministry of Youth and Sports “Central Administration of the Parliament and Civic Education & African Youth Bureau” hosted a delegation of members of the Ugandan parliament representing the African Peer Review Mechanism, within framework of the activities of the Africa Corridor Salon, in coordination with the Ministry of Planning, Follow-up and Administrative Reform “National Management Institute”.

The aim of the meeting was to discuss ways to popularize the pilot Egyptian experience in the areas of planning, governance and youth empowerment.



This was organized within the framework of Egypt's presidency of the African Union 2019 as well as in light of the national diplomatic efforts carried out to create areas of cooperation and joint action between African countries.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Albert Byamugisha, Chairman of the National Governance Council, MP Henry Mussazi, Richard Ssewakiryanga, Member of the National Governance Council, Amos Lugoloobi, Member of the National Governance Council, Dr. Tom Gedoudou, Coordinator of the Peer Review Mechanism Secretariat, Ms. Judith Ejang, Hassan Ghazali, General Coordinator of the African Youth Bureau and Vice-President of the Pan African Youth Union and Amira Sayed, a journalist at the Egyptian Gazette.

Youssef Wardani, Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports in charge of Youth Development, explained the mechanisms of youth empowerment of the ministry and that of the Egyptian government. He referred to the presidential program to qualify African youth for leadership and the joint cooperation between the Ministry and the Academy, in addition to the World Youth Forum.

Kadriya Talha, Director General of Civic Education and Youth Leadership at the Ministry of Youth, introduced the activities of the Central Administration of the Parliament and Civic Education and discussed its structure and programs, as well as the role of the Pan African School in building leadership skills. She also announced the preparations of the AU Youth Volunteer Corps (AUYVC) as the largest youth volunteer program to be implemented in late November 2019.

In this context, Nelly Zein El Abidine, Director General of the Parliament, explained the role played by the Nasser Fellowship for African Leadership as the first inter-African fellowship to train African youth and qualify them for leadership in order to contribute to building the African continent by the hands of its people. She addressed the role of the Youth Parliament and touched on the African Union simulation model which will be launched in the coming period in cooperation with Cairo University under the auspices of the Prime Minister.

Hassan Ghazali introduced the activities of the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps which will be hosted by Cairo in December 2019 and whose activities will be held in November and December of the current year.



The Egyptian government will organize the program through the Ministry of Youth and Sports in cooperation with the African Union Commission in Ethiopia. He also announced the implementation of a joint cooperation program between Egypt and Uganda in order to build the capacity of young leaders of the two countries to integrate them and enhance the effectiveness of the administrative apparatus.

For her part, Heba Assem, a graduate of the Pan African Summer School, spoke about the World Youth Forum as a member of the organizing committee responsible for the organization of simulation models.

Heba received her training at the National Training Academy, noting that she was awarded the Best Best Young African Leaders Award, where she represented Egypt.

Heba Rifa’a, a lecturer at the Institute of Planning, addressed the experience of the Pan African school and its role in implementing similar programs to educate young people and introduce them to the African continent. She stressed that Egypt's experience was successful in the field of youth empowerment and mainstreaming in the decision-making process and managed to achieve a balance between the well-being of youth and the recreational activities in addition to the implementation of educational, cultural and training programs in the field of leadership.

The delegation praised Egypt's pilot experience in women and youth empowerment through training and qualification for leadership.

The aim of the meeting was to activate the soft diplomacy represented by mutual visits in order to popularize successful experiences and discuss its means of application to other regimes with similar characteristics in order to support the effectiveness of governance in Uganda by examining the role of young people and youth mainstreaming in the decision-making process, as well as youth qualification for leadership and change.

This can be achieved through sharing the trainees’ previous experiences in the programs organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in addition to studying its outcomes as well as the best practices to improve the African Peer Review Mechanism, all of which will strengthen the Ugandan governance system.