SADC forum opens in Lusaka with call to invest in youth for demographic dividend

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and partners have opened a three-day Multisectoral Consultative Forum on the Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and Demographic Dividend in Lusaka with a call to invest in young people.

Speakers at the meeting emphasized the need to harness the region’s demographic dividend through deliberate investment in youth by providing knowledge, practical skills, and opportunities to enable them to contribute to sustainable development.

Speaking at the conference, held at Radisson Blu Hotel, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Zambia Country Representative Seth Broekman said the 2016 African Union Demographic Dividend Roadmap, endorsed and adopted by all SADC countries, had already delivered positive outcomes by prioritizing comprehensive and coordinated development.

He said realizing the demographic dividend required intentional investment in youth, stressing that “when youth are empowered truly, they can actively contribute to national development, economically as well as socially.”

Broekman further noted that equipping young people with education and skills strengthened their health and financial resilience, thereby reducing long-term social and economic burdens on the state.

“Considering the youthful population in our region, investing in youth today is the best preparation for tomorrow. It’s a proactive strategy for long-term national development reflecting Africa’s demographic shift,” he said.

Similarly, SADC Secretariat Director of Social and Human Development, Duduzile Simelane, said investments in young people allowed countries to leverage the demographic dividend by transforming the youth population into an engine for economic growth.

She warned that neglecting youth development risked poor socio-economic outcomes, adding that SADC had developed several instruments to advance youth empowerment, including the Draft SADC Youth Protocol awaiting ministerial approval, the SADC Declaration on Youth Development and Empowerment (2015), and the SADC Youth Empowerment Policy Framework (2021–2030).

Meanwhile, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Programme Management Unit Coordinator, Dr. Hagos Debeb, said unlocking the demographic dividend rested on protecting and promoting the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people.

He noted that without comprehensive sexuality education, youth-friendly health services, family planning, maternal health care, and protection from gender-based violence and harmful practices, young people were deprived of opportunities to complete education and reach their potential.

“Failure to safeguard these rights is not just a loss for individuals—it is a loss of Africa’s collective potential to reduce inequality and build prosperity,” Debeb said.

He added that AUDA-NEPAD, in collaboration with regional economic communities and member states, had launched a Five-Year Programme on SRHR and the Demographic Dividend to advance these priorities.

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