Children are the torch bearers of the future on the continent and therefore it is vital to groom them whilst young for this great responsibility.There are classes and so many differences between children on the continent emanating from the type of education received, religious beliefs, political orientation, economic factors, race and gender affecting the well-being, moral uprightness and confidence of children.
For Africa to be developed from what is at the moment, there is a need for universality to exist in all these stated factors although there still needs time as every State on the continent has a shortfall one way or the other.
Having said this it is important to work towards this realisation by protecting, respecting and promoting the rights of our children who will become the future leaders and policy makers.
Children are indeed a necessity in correcting the problems we face as a continent as they are the ones who possess the ideas to solve our problems in the future as they are often the victims of our short comings.
In the quest for developing Africa they cannot go it alone without our input which remains essential as they have the right to be provided with support, protection and hospitable operating environments.
Knowledge is the first stage of life and is initiated into children’s lives through sound and equitable access to education, one tool they should never be deprived of despite their background, location, tribe, physical status, gender and religion.
Provision of education should never be alienated from those who are of low means, it should be compulsorily made free without any seclusion.
In our erstwhile setting, schools were set aside for the able bodied separating those living with disabilities from attending these conventional schools.
This should be done away with so that the disabled feel counted in every step and process towards development. That sense of inclusion should never be under estimated for it has the power of creativity for the best for Africa.
Children have to be equipped not only with skills but need to be fostered to come up with innovative and creative ideas they would require to become the future leaders on the continent.
Education curricula must be potent with ideas that do away with abuse and gender mainstreaming.
For a greater part of African history, the girl child has been side-lined from all forms of access to make her a dignified person. Education was the first deprivation she faced leaving her vulnerable to all forms of abuse at the hands of boys and men.
The girl child was forced into early marriages which totally disoriented their hopes and dreams of ever becoming educated and emancipated leaders. However, this form of treatment is being corrected through the sundry voices calling out for equality at all fora.
Educating our children that they are all equal despite gender, I believe, is the biggest step of the inclusivity of children in the development of Africa.
Children’s health is also another factor that needs inclusivity if we are to develop Africa at sustainable levels.
For children to be involved in developing our beloved continent there is need for the existence of a sound, viable and sustainable health system.
A healthy mind and body have no impediments towards development and hence governments and all the parties involved should consider the views of children as they undertake these processes.
It should be prioritized that children in every setup (urban, rural, farming and mining communities) have access to universal quality health services bolstered with adequate medical personnel and supplies in all health providing institutions.
While efforts in terms of provision are at play, it should be made possible by governments for those in remote and rural areas to access satellite health institutions so as to shorten walking distances to these hospitals and clinics.
Some countries on the continent have high maternal death rates due to lack of access caused by great distances for accessibility. This is a necessary provision as this will help save the lives of the children with brilliant minds that we need for future development.
Strict laws should be passed to mitigate traditional and religious beliefs against immunization of children. Every parent or guardian should be compelled to make sure that children do not skip any stage of this process to alleviate the resurgence of killer diseases at a child’s later stage in growth.
Failure to mitigate these traits on our continent can lead to uncountable deaths thereby reducing valuable human resources necessary to give, implement and sustain developmental ideas that would see Africa ticking in the near future.
Provision of anti-retro-viral treatment should be made adequate and readily available to those living with HIV/AIDS. Missing a single dose could lead to regrettable consequences on our part and therefore this should be validated so that all those who live under these conditions remain active in developing all the sectors necessary on the continent.
It is an undeniable fact that we are now living in a digital era where technology is the center piece of development. There are countless testimonies in the West of children breaking new ground in this area by forming companies, innovative software and so on.
In this field of technology, which entails access to information through various media available, children need not be left out.
Embracing our children with technological skills and know-how is one necessary tool that will lead to the greater development of Africa.
Access to technology has the advantage of giving our children the temerity to overcome traditional barriers that existed impeding a cross pollination across the world.
With technology, sharing of ideas through the conduit of communication and knowledge is made easier. The other good thing about technology is that it does not relate to gender, but gives access to limitless prospects for all sexes.
Governments should make sure that they craft policies that cater for equitable resource distribution in this regard. There are areas that need heavy investment in infrastructure to see the fruition of national, regional and continental access to the internet through Ethernet cable and Wi-Fi services.
Schools in marginalized areas need libraries, computer laboratories or information technology hub centers to enable children in these areas unlimited access to these facilities.
Entrepreneurship is one key area where the continent can develop through the inclusion of children in every process. Children need to be rightly mentored and be bred in empowering environments so as to attain this. Worldwide children entrepreneurs have developed their nations and Africa also needs more of these (not implying that there are none) for the purpose of development.
Their services are needed in the agricultural, technological, industrial and other various sectors that make the continent viable through their invaluable input and it should be catered for that they operate in a safe environment that nurtures their independence and full lives to contribute to the development of the continent through their varied gifts.
Lastly though not least, empowerment of children through grooming them into leaders is one vital stage children need to be exposed to in order to develop the continent. Children need to be given the privilege and rights to participate in political activities. They should be able to give their opinions in policy making and their input should never be left out in the process.
It is usually the work of politicians to take advantage of vulnerable children by exposing them to child labour on their farms or mining concerns. This type of exploitation has to be done away with due to its nature of depriving children of their rights to education, health and mental
well-being.
There are many instances were children have been forced to become school dropouts by being engaged into such unfair labour practices detrimental to their dignity. Surely, how can we expect them to be involved in developing the continent when all we do is alienate them from the process through such mannerisms?
Their concerns in the national budgets should not be over looked and their representatives should be abreast of all positive developments at whatever level of development taking place for them to make informed decisions in all their activities.
By Daniel Kachere
FAWEZI 