UNECA TASKS MEDIA TO PRESSURIZE GOVT ON DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa UNECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa has urged African media to put pressure on governments concerning policies on education, health, job creation, women and youth Empowerment.

The Director ECA, Ms Ngone Diop giving the charge today at a virtual news briefing on youths and women empowerment said that policy commitments at national and regional levels are  below the requirement for development of youths and women.

She complained that youths and women struggle to access public resources and quality social services because they are relegated despite their number and importance in development.

“Planners are sitting around the table to figure out where they want to go, where their objectives are. We have to be always aware of the demographic dividend when all these policies are being designed”. 

She maintained that the commission will keep on working with the media to put pressure on governments because the responsibilities rest on government.

“Education, health, job creation, not only in the informal sector, those pillars have to be taken into account in those policies.

You have your economic policy, and others as well”

Diop said that governments in Africa are short of adequate funds and have budgets that do not show the priorities to take into account the structure of the population in policies’ formulations and actions.

She said that the necessary policies should answer to short term, middle or long term needs of the youths because we need youths and women in empowerment with the right policies at hand.