ICT Youth-led initiatives In Africa

Ouédraogo Sylvestre

Lecturer in economics and ICT’s, University of Ouagadougou

Executive President of Yam- Pukri.org

The Harambee study report

Context

• African Youth ICT4D network (AYIN)• Study on youth involvment in african

information society (Harambee Study)• Compilation of five surveys

– Abdallah Diwan, Egypt– Gbenga Sesan Nigeria– Komeza Eddy Rwanda,– Leopold L.L. Armah Ghana,– Somda Theodore Burkina Faso,

• This presentation focus in one aspect: see the all report after

Youth Involvment

• ICT opportunities for youth employment

• ICT’s and Youth Innovation (social enterprise.

• What can we do to better involve Youth?

Somme considerations• ICT’s are a new phenomena in Africa and in

Occident (about 20 years)• The use of ICT’s follows the development of the

countries: more developed= more use of ICT’s• The potentials of ICt’s for Development is clear,

but, the ways to use better and appropriate it is more complicated

• How to start? Education?agriculture, healf…

ICT’s and employemnts

• ICT’s create lot of employs in Africa, specialy for the poor and middle people (Selling prepaid cards; cybercafés) and less for big sector (ICT’s industries: more selling than more creating and sofware and hardware industry). If we goes up on the level of the high

incomes, the services of resale of software are left there more than the companies of design of software (see graphics of the following page from Gbenga; Nigeria case).

lack of knowledge, capital, opportunity…

The mobile revolution in africa

• The mobile phone put revolution in africa and in fields of youth: lot of SME are created around the mobile phone sector.

Low income generation opportunities(employment in Nigeria)

Low Income generation opportunities(Employment)

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Middle income generation Opportunities (employment)

Middle-income generation opportunities (Employment)

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High income generation Opportunities(employment)

High income generation opportunites (Employment)

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ICT’s and Youth organisation

few organisations compare to other fields: agriculture, human right, health

• ICT’s are more transversal by nature• Concentrate in towns• Less information on the innovations and

creativity of youth.• Lack of incentives and ICT’s services

sector, generaly the production of local content.

Yam Pukri case in Burkina Faso

• Start with 2 second hands computers.

• Now with 200 computers, long learning training, multimedia courses, création of enterprise, a computer museum and laboratory, … innovation in computers, Yam Pukri show that the Youth can do something if they trust themselves.

Importance of succes stories and informations on Youth and ICT’s

Yam Pukri products

• The creation of an environment favourable with the young people in the society of information will benefit blow on with all the sectors from the economy from the African countries, the question of young not being able to be insulated.

Incitative environment• The installation of inciting elements for the creation

and the financing of companies of the young people. • The reward of best contained African realized by

young people (programs, Web sites, with local contents...)

• Programs of grant will intra African already existing are to be strengthened.

• The creation and the use of Open platforms source in varied fields: education, electronic trade using the local currency of the countries or a African currency accepted by all, division of knowledge and expertise starting from virtual networks sets of themes.

• Reinforcement of the presence of the local languages by using to suitable platforms.

Building a solid network

• We have plenty ICT’s structures, but, few connexion with the initiatives in africa at local, national, regional level.

creating ICT’s Youth department and all the institutions in africa

• Building a solid network of network can help youth to connect themselves and share knowledge and other ressources.

Thank you!