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KIGALI, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Young technology startups and enthusiasts from Africa are set to convene in the Rwandan capital Kigali for a major entrepreneurship and exhibition summit, says Rwandan ministry of youth and ICT.
Rwanda will host the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit from July 19-21 that will primarily focus on youth entrepreneurship.
Addressing a news conference on Thursday ahead of the meeting, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Rwandan minister of youth and ICT said that YouthConnekt Africa is expected to leave an enduring legacy of enabling youth to harness limitless opportunities.
"The conference will focus on exchanging ideas and sharing lessons that would enable young people to be innovators and future Africa successful entrepreneurs. The meeting will highlight Africa's vibrant technology scene as well as comparing and learning from others across the world," he added.
The three-day meeting dubbed "Realizing Africa's Youth Potential" will bring together government officials, entrepreneurs, investors, multinationals and startups shaping the African technological ecosystem to interact and discuss on the methods of using technology to drive Africa economic growth.
The conference that is expected to bring together about 2,500 participants including more than 100 youth entrepreneurs' exhibitions is organized by the government of Rwanda, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
According to Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary General of UNCTAD, the UN agency is proud to partner with the government of Rwanda to champion youth technology entrepreneurship across the continent using various platforms including the upcoming YouthConnekt summit.
"The YouthConnekt seeks to empower young people and connect them with opportunities in the public and private sectors and civil society. It has a strong gender and technology focus. Investing in youth will help build hope in Africa's future generation," he said.
He noted that considering the depressed state of the formal job market in Africa, it's of great importance that young people on the continent look to entrepreneurship to secure their future.
YouthConnekt Africa is a result of a highly successful initiative launched in 2012 by the government of Rwanda and UNDP.
The YouthConnekt initiative is a multi-faceted program that engages youth in national dialogue, and works with them to find or create their own employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
It's designed to realize the demographic dividend by combining elements of skills development, entrepreneurship, access to jobs and finance, awareness raising on issues related to youth development, and promotion of youth citizenship. Enditem
