Group Concludes Egyptian National Model Conference to enhance Youth Awareness of African issues
By Emmanuel Mogbede
The Global Solidarity Network has concluded activities of its training program of the African Union Simulation Model, dedicated to students of Schools of Excellence in Science and Technology to enhance youth awareness of African issues.
Mr Hassan Ghazaly, founder of the network under which the African Union Simulation Model was implemented, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Ghazaly, also the founder of Pan African initiative on media and Journalism (Afromedia) said the program reflected the network’s vision of enhancing Egyptian youth awareness of African issues.
He added that it also provided them with a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the continent and the mechanisms of collective action within African institutions.
He explained that the model represented an integrated educational platform that provided youth with opportunities to understand decision-making mechanisms within the African Union.
This, he said, was especially through a simulation experience combining academic knowledge and practical application while promoting an African perspective that reflects the continent’s own contexts, priorities, and realities beyond perspectives that may not fully capture Africa’s unique characteristics.
Ghazaly said the program aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to become active partners in issues of peace, development, and African integration by combining diplomatic, academic, and research expertise.
He said the approach provided a unique experience that contributes to developing skills in dialogue, analysis, negotiation, vision-building, and position formulation.
He noted that the model goes beyond providing information about the African Union and its institutions.
According to him, the program aims to empower youth to recognise the shared challenges facing the continent and explore opportunities for cooperation and integration among African countries.
Ghazaly congratulated the model’s team of researchers and students led by researcher and translator Mervat Sakr, African affairs researcher Abdullah Qazzaz, and Teyam Mohamed, President of the Students of STEM Schools for Science and Technology.
He particularly appreciated their efforts in over seeing the implementation of the activities of the program and its various tracks.
“These efforts contributed to achieving its educational and training objectives and maximising the participant’s benefit from this experience.
He said the program’s lectures and training workshops held throughout August, was attended by 120 male and female students from various institutions from across Egypt.
He said the program featured specialised training sessions aimed at introducing students to the nature of the African Union institutions, decision-making mechanisms, and cooperation frameworks among African countries.
“It also sought to enhance their awareness of contemporary issues and challenges facing the continent through an integrated educational experience that combined theoretical knowledge with practical application through the simulation model,” he said.
He explained that the program included three main tracks addressing Peace and Security, Intra-African Trade, and African Civil Society, with the participation of a distinguished group of experts and specialists in African affairs.
“The training content focused on understanding institutional mechanisms within the African Union and the role of various stakeholders in supporting development pathways and continental integration.
“The program was inaugurated with a lecture delivered by Amb. Amr El Gawaly, Director of the Directorate of African Diaspora Organisations and Civil Society at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa.
“The lecture addressed the economic role of the African diaspora in supporting development across the continent, providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the nature of joint African action.
“The peace and security track addressed several issues related to conflict management, peace building, and strengthening governance across Africa,” Ghazaly said.
The African Union Simulation Model, established in 2012, is one of the programs of the Global Solidarity Network.
It is aimed to enhance Egyptian youth awareness of African collective action, introduce students to the institutions of the African Union and their mechanisms.
It also aimed at providing a training platform that combines academic knowledge with practical application through simulation, contributing to the development of young people’s skills in dialogue, negotiation, and decision-making.
EEM
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