SAMIYA GODU, Representative of Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association of China-Africa Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base, attended the Belt and Road Women’s Forum and Youth Leadership Forum and delivered a speech
date：2024-01-02 14:08:10 hits：
The 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum successfully convened in Sanya, Hainan from December 6-8. Co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the UN Resident Coordinator Office in China, and jointly organized by the People’s Government of Sanya City, the China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development, and the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Women’s Forum. On the morning of the 8th, the Belt and Road Women's Forum and Youth Leadership Forum was successfully held in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City. SAMIYA GODU, Representative of Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association of China-Africa Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base, attended the Belt and Road Women’s Forum and Youth Leadership Forum and delivered a speech
SAMIYA GODU, Representative of Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association of China-Africa Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base, delivered a speech
Good morning/afternoon, Distinguished guests and participants,
All protocols observed. On behalf of the African and Ethiopian youth entrepreneurs, I would like to express my gratitude for the invitation extended to us to be part of this milestone and the The 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum.
It is my great honor and pleasure to be part of this forum and I thank the organizers of the 5th Belt and Road women’s forum for giving me the opportunity to speak on one of the most critical issues facing the status quo global and specifically Africa's development process in its ambition to meet the 2030 SDG goals: “Active Youth Leadership”. The need for youth participation in policy, and development initiatives is getting a promising attention by leaders globally including here in China, I believe that there is still a need to accelerate the progress by devising active youth leadership in global cooperation’s.
The youth are crucial in contributing youthful energy to the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. I would like to thank this forum for its initiative to foster cooperation among youth in the Belt and Road participating countries, gathering young strength to promote the building of a shared future for humanity. On behalf of Ethiopian Entrepreneurs association, and a coalition of African entrepreneurs' associations, I look forward to productive cooperation’s to design and implement impactful programs.
2. At the halfway mark of the 2030 UN SDG goals, Africa’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is lagging. The 2023 report on the latest Africa Sustainable Development report calls for accelerated efforts to ensure that Africa achieves the global goals by the 2030 deadline.
By 2050, Africa's youth population is expected to reach over 830 million and will comprise 25% of the world's workforce. As it stands today, almost 60% of Africa's population is currently under the age of 25, making the continent the youngest on the planet.
Given these astounding statistics about the African youth population and accepting the call for accelerated efforts by the UN; I pledge to be a key participant and one of the African youth leaders leading market driven movement to meet the SDG goals.
3.The 2023 UN report highlights 4 key goals for its policy recommendations. Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation) • Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy) • Goal 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure • Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) • Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Looking at these priorities, and SDG goals beyond the list... I strongly believe China is uniquely qualified to contribute the lion’s share in support of Africa to meet it’s SDG goals. From affordable water purification systems, to advanced renewable energy technologies and many more, the technological solutions to solve the problems highlighted in the report are here in China. I call on all of our partners in China to advocate for increased participation of youth both in China and Africa to drive development efforts, and support African youth led initiatives within the BRI cooperation initiatives.
4. Aside from ease of doing business challenges, Africa has tremendous natural resources, favorable ecological conditions for agriculture and forestry, and a growing educated workforce to lead the way in tech enabled innovative solutions for development. Today, I pledge to do my part in accelerating bi-lateral trade between China & Africa, and promote targeted FDI investments in agriculture, mining and other key sectors depending on local priorities and opportunities.
5. On behalf of Ethiopian Entrepreneurs Association, and a coalition of African entrepreneurs' associations, we will be establishing a collaborative youth led Development Initiative to promote and manage trade, and investment initiatives in Africa. I hope all of you will support us in this endeavor. The initiative will have 4 key focused areas and it's based on win-win cooperation principle.
Thank You.
The forum brought together over 400 participants. These included Li Xikui, Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Cheng Hong, Vice President of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Chen Xi, Mayor of the People’s Government of Sanya City, Arya Ali, First Lady of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Maldives, Switzerland, Nepal, Guyana, Uganda, Mozambique, and various other countries.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. The forum focused on women's education, health, and growth, upholding the spirit of the Silk Road, and promoting inter-civilizational exchanges. It vigorously publicized China's achievements in advancing women's causes and promoting their comprehensive development in the new era. This forum significantly enhanced China's international discourse and influence in the fields of women and children, building a platform and bridge for women's exchange and communication among Belt and Road participating countries.
SAMIYA GODU, Representative of Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association of China-Africa Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base, delivered a speech
Good morning/afternoon, Distinguished guests and participants,
All protocols observed. On behalf of the African and Ethiopian youth entrepreneurs, I would like to express my gratitude for the invitation extended to us to be part of this milestone and the The 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum.
It is my great honor and pleasure to be part of this forum and I thank the organizers of the 5th Belt and Road women’s forum for giving me the opportunity to speak on one of the most critical issues facing the status quo global and specifically Africa's development process in its ambition to meet the 2030 SDG goals: “Active Youth Leadership”. The need for youth participation in policy, and development initiatives is getting a promising attention by leaders globally including here in China, I believe that there is still a need to accelerate the progress by devising active youth leadership in global cooperation’s.
The youth are crucial in contributing youthful energy to the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. I would like to thank this forum for its initiative to foster cooperation among youth in the Belt and Road participating countries, gathering young strength to promote the building of a shared future for humanity. On behalf of Ethiopian Entrepreneurs association, and a coalition of African entrepreneurs' associations, I look forward to productive cooperation’s to design and implement impactful programs.
2. At the halfway mark of the 2030 UN SDG goals, Africa’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is lagging. The 2023 report on the latest Africa Sustainable Development report calls for accelerated efforts to ensure that Africa achieves the global goals by the 2030 deadline.
By 2050, Africa's youth population is expected to reach over 830 million and will comprise 25% of the world's workforce. As it stands today, almost 60% of Africa's population is currently under the age of 25, making the continent the youngest on the planet.
Given these astounding statistics about the African youth population and accepting the call for accelerated efforts by the UN; I pledge to be a key participant and one of the African youth leaders leading market driven movement to meet the SDG goals.
3.The 2023 UN report highlights 4 key goals for its policy recommendations. Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation) • Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy) • Goal 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure • Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) • Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Looking at these priorities, and SDG goals beyond the list... I strongly believe China is uniquely qualified to contribute the lion’s share in support of Africa to meet it’s SDG goals. From affordable water purification systems, to advanced renewable energy technologies and many more, the technological solutions to solve the problems highlighted in the report are here in China. I call on all of our partners in China to advocate for increased participation of youth both in China and Africa to drive development efforts, and support African youth led initiatives within the BRI cooperation initiatives.
4. Aside from ease of doing business challenges, Africa has tremendous natural resources, favorable ecological conditions for agriculture and forestry, and a growing educated workforce to lead the way in tech enabled innovative solutions for development. Today, I pledge to do my part in accelerating bi-lateral trade between China & Africa, and promote targeted FDI investments in agriculture, mining and other key sectors depending on local priorities and opportunities.
5. On behalf of Ethiopian Entrepreneurs Association, and a coalition of African entrepreneurs' associations, we will be establishing a collaborative youth led Development Initiative to promote and manage trade, and investment initiatives in Africa. I hope all of you will support us in this endeavor. The initiative will have 4 key focused areas and it's based on win-win cooperation principle.
- Bi-lateral trade promotion consortium.
- Connect African producers with chinese buyers.
- Connect chinese producers with African buyers.
- Investment promotion consortium
- Promote FDI from China to Africa.
- Promote FDI from Africa to China
- Financial consortium
- Mobilize grants under the ODA of the BRI initiative.
- Mobilize investment financing both in China, and African countries.
- Mobilize trade financing facilities.
- Cultural Exchange and Technology transfer.
- Drive collaborations between African and Chinese higher ed institutions.
- Promote bi-lateral cultural exchange via leisure and business travel.
- Promote higher education, and skilled labor trainings of African youth in China.
Thank You.
The forum brought together over 400 participants. These included Li Xikui, Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Cheng Hong, Vice President of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Chen Xi, Mayor of the People’s Government of Sanya City, Arya Ali, First Lady of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Maldives, Switzerland, Nepal, Guyana, Uganda, Mozambique, and various other countries.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. The forum focused on women's education, health, and growth, upholding the spirit of the Silk Road, and promoting inter-civilizational exchanges. It vigorously publicized China's achievements in advancing women's causes and promoting their comprehensive development in the new era. This forum significantly enhanced China's international discourse and influence in the fields of women and children, building a platform and bridge for women's exchange and communication among Belt and Road participating countries.