Representatives from 11 African countries and 3 regional organisations join the campaign's first ever regional meeting, in Accra, Ghana, hosted by Education International's Africa Regional Office. Campaigners came from Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Togo, Uganda and from the host country Ghana, representing teachers' unions, education coalitions, child labour campaigns, and youth movements.
Also in attendance were the All Africa Students' Union, a representative youth movement formed by students from across the continent and the Africa Network Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA). The regional coordinator for the Global March Against Child Labour, Cleophas Mally, was also in attendance, both in his capacity for Global March and as the coordinator for the 100 Million campaign in Togo.
The meeting was opened by Assibi Napoe, Africa Regional Coordinator for Education International, and Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi; both speakers motivated and energised the participants to become involved in supporting the 100 Million campaign.
The culmination of the two day meeting saw an agreement from every participant that they would join the campaign, and a regional coordinating body was formed, comprising Education International, ANCEFA, and the All African Students' Union.
Africa has the youngest population in the world: 60% of its 1.2 billion population is under the age of 25, with countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger seeing a massive increase in the number of young people over the last few years. It is, therefore, critical to ensure that the rights of every young person on the continent are realised, and to support Africa's youth population to mobilise for these rights.
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