Speakers at the African Youth Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance have called for fair access to climate finance and greater accountability in the management of Africa’s resources.
The three-day meeting, held in Accra from September 11 to 13, 2025, was convened by the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) under the theme “Transforming Africa’s Natural Resource Governance through Youth-Led Solutions.”
It brought together youth leaders, policymakers, civil society groups, development partners and representatives of government and the private sector.
Addressing participants, the Executive Coordinator of SYND, Mr. Chibeze Ezekiel, said Africa’s development had always been tied to its natural resources, yet poor management had left many countries lagging behind.
“Every time there is a new innovation that requires resources, Africa is where those resources are found. Yet if we do not manage them well, we risk losing the benefits,” he said.
He urged young people to demonstrate solutions within their communities, adding that they could “be the light of Africa.”
A member of the SYND board, Mr. Oko Nerquaye-Tetteh, said young people must not be sidelined in governance.
He explained that SYND’s work had already given youth the tools to demand transparency and accountability in resource management.
The Regional Director for West Africa at the Ford Foundation, Ms. ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, said Africa’s resource wealth had been both a blessing and a source of corruption.
She cited illegal mining in Ghana, Mali and Nigeria as examples of how poverty and exclusion had pushed young people into destructive activities.
“Natural resource governance in Africa must be about justice, equity and opportunity,” she said.
Representing the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, the Director of Youth Development, Mr. Mohammed Saani Adams, reminded participants that young people formed more than 60 per cent of Ghana’s population.
He said natural resources were central to life and should be managed with responsibility.
“Today was yesterday’s future, and the responsibility for protecting the environment lies with every citizen,” he said.
The Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change and Mineral Development in Plateau State, Nigeria, Mr. Peter Kananag Gwom, recounted how unregulated mining had devastated his state over decades.
He said African governments must establish transparent systems to prevent communities from losing value through raw material exports.
“We cannot continue to export resources cheaply and buy them back at higher prices,” he said. Mr. Gwom also called for youth to be recognised as “leaders of today, not just tomorrow.”
The Director of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Dr. Joseph Daniel Onoja, advised young innovators to concentrate on practical solutions, arguing that financial backing would follow once results were demonstrated.
Debate on financing featured strongly in a panel discussion on green finance for youth-led initiatives.
Speakers pointed to political interference in the disbursement of funds, saying access was often skewed in favour of groups aligned with ruling parties. “It is a persistent problem that excludes many young innovators who are not politically connected,” one panellist said.
Concerns were also raised about the exclusion of rural communities. A youth advocate from Kenya told the gathering: “The people closest to the problems are also closest to the solutions, yet they are the last to benefit from climate finance.”
The panel urged young innovators to design clear projects, show measurable results and use social media to demand accountability. It also called for the creation of a continental climate fund to support grassroots initiatives.
The conference ended on September 13, 2025, with an exhibition of youth-led projects in renewable energy, agriculture and environmental management.
