Chude Jideonwo, Managing Partner of Red Media Group, was one of the Development Consultants from across Africa in the Forum on the role of youth in preparation for the 2012 ADEA (African Development through Economics and the Arts) Triennale held in Rabat, Morocco, from 19 to 21 October 2011.

The analytical work was on the theme “Promoting critical knowledge, skills and qualifications for sustainable development in Africa: How to design and implement an effective response through education and training systems?”

The deliberations of the meeting helped the ADEA Secretariat, so that it can approve the guidance and content with respect to the goals set for the next Triennale; using it as an agreed reference framework for assessing the relevance of proposals for contributions, possibly for making adjustments to them and for determining the shape of the thematic and general reports. Other outcomes of the youth consultation forum are: (i) the youth’s evaluation of existing education and training systems and the impact on their employability and career; and (ii) their vision of the reforms that necessary in education and training systems.
The youth consultation forum produced a draft working paper that spelt out the specific contributions of young people to the design and implementation of effective education and training systems to enhance sustainable development of Africa. The working paper will be published on the internet and will be a subject of further dialogue among young people who are interested in contributing to education and training reforms on the continent. The contributions will be synthesized to produce a “Declaration of Young Africans” that will be complementary to the existing analytical work and will be presented at the Triennale.