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The Issue of Leadership Proximity to the African People
The crisis of proximity between the governed and the governors is acute and severe. Governors pontificate issues about the African community, which they know too little about. It is difficult to address/redress what one is too uninformed about. This is the more reason while most of the intended solutions tend to yield little or no results. The issue of leadership proximity has created an enabling environment for corruption to occur and to persist. Naturally corruption does not exist as a matter of policy. Corruption is an evidence of the absence of leadership and judicial proximity. In the event of this weakness individuals can embezzle and misappropriate state resources with impunity.
Too many governments in Africa by their actions manifest a certainty that they are very distant from the realities of their most remote communities. Overloaded with wrong information many African government officials have failed the test of getting off the high horse. In my humble opinion as a grass root worker, the people should be regarded as the true source of all sustainable development and values.
Go to the people
Live among them
Learn form them
Serve them
Plan with them
Start with what they know
Build with what they have.
No leadership can empathize with the people without proximity. For any successful employment of international assistance and cooperation agreement leadership proximity should constitute a major requirement. Proximity will cause leadership to develop a responsive and accountable character towards the people and the international community. This will be a starting point in containing exodus from the continent.
Loosening Reforms
While most governments in Africa continue to manifest reluctance in addressing illegal youth migration, a new authority in advocating, propagating and lobbying has to develop within youth civil society communities and organizations. Youth Civil Society Organizations (YCSO) must be the voice that will provoke governments to loosen reforms to the advantage of the thousands of youth migrants who die yearly trying to flee the desperation and poverty in their home countries. We have invested a lot of our resources and time in organizing conferences and seminars. Now we have to turn our attention to talking with those who hold the power and for those who do not have any power.
We need a visible, local, national, regional and international voice form youth activists and organizations against the illegal migration and abuse of youth migrants by host countries. We have to target the political wheel (elected representatives) and make them turn towards our direction. We have to press for representative statues in places of decision-making and where we cannot, we invite them to our workshops, public hearings or programs to creatively exchange, interchange opinions, commitments and experiences. This will serve as a positive launch pad in cross examining ideas on migration, conflict, disease, hunger, corruption, unemployment, gender and good governance.
By discussing the most intimate issues of youth interest with our elected representatives, we are actually tapping into the political will best suited to find a solution to our problems. Through this kind of political joint effort there is great possibility that our actions and advocacy will lead to tangible results.
Awareness Building and Empowerment
For the youth front on youth migration to be strong, we must communicate our opinions, strategies and actions in a very wide, logical and clear way. We have to first of all identify what we need as instruments for an accurate communication of our ideas on the subject. A Global Youth Coalition on Migration (GYCOM) should be set up for effective large scale, monitoring, reporting and organization of youths by youth on migration. The kind of coalition that can make a consistent difference to public policy, and affect a large population of youths.
GYCOM can play an important role in the following ways but not limited to:
Peoples' Involvement
To incorporate youths in the program of the coalition as active monitors, reporters and trainers on trafficking, migrant abuse and other elements of importance to the youth community. The peoples' movement can be ensured via the establishment of youth monitoring bodies, involvement of professional legal bodies, organizations, surveys and the setting up of educational programs (call in radio shows etc).
Operating a GYCOM News glance
The news glance could serve as a valuable instrument in informing and exposing the community to local, domestic, national and international illegal human trafficking centers, abuse cases, illegal repulsion and other activities contrary to the sustainable well-being of youths.
Immunity to Youth Informants
Youths who inform and give evidence to the coalition should be guaranteed protection. Not living out the right to information and access to relevant documents on youth migration related policies. This will enable GYCOM to be sufficiently empowered with information related to migration. For the activities of the coalition to be realized, international donor institutions have an active role to play in providing resources that will assist in mobilizing youths on varied programs of the coalition.
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Writer Profile
Stephen N. Asek
Stephen Asek is a Cameroonian with a multicultural perspective in development, justice and social responsibility.
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Comments
tamuka tendayi | Oct 31st, 2006
this is a masterpiece
hello mohmmed elnour ahmmed abbo | Jun 17th, 2007
I am mohmmed Abbo from Nyala Darfur need to continue my education out sudan
mohmmed_abbo@yahoo.com
hello mohmmed elnour ahmmed abbo | Jun 17th, 2007
I am mohmmed Abbo from Nyala Darfur need to continue my education out sudan
mohmmed_abbo@yahoo.com
hello mohmmed elnour ahmmed abbo | Jun 17th, 2007
I am mohmmed Abbo from Nyala Darfur need to continue my education out sudan
mohmmed_abbo@yahoo.com
hello mohmmed elnour ahmmed abbo | Jun 17th, 2007
University of Nyala
hello mohmmed elnour ahmmed abbo | Jun 17th, 2007
I am mohmmed Abbo from Nyala Darfur need to continue my education out sudan
mohmmed_abbo@yahoo.com
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