On International Youth Day, the Road to Addis Series featured its last webinar on the six enablers of connectivity for Sustainable Development. This session focused on young people. Youth represents the hope for humanity, they are also natural adopters of technology, and the ones who will inherit the world that technology is now shaping. Young people represent about a quarter of the world’s population; 1.8 billion human beings who need to be empowered, prepared with relevant skills, and presented with opportunities to significantly contribute to socio-economic development and the achievement of the SDGs.

• Whilst 70% of the world’s youth are using the Internet and they are often referred to as digital natives, 369 million remain offline. Today, 2.2 billion children and young people aged 25 years or less do not have an Internet connection at home.
•  The COVID-19 pandemic is deepening pre-existing digital skills gaps as youth across the world continue to experience disruptions and uncertainties in their education and career journeys.
• As early adopters of ICTs, young people are uniquely placed to harness the power of these technologies in new and imaginative ways. ICTs have the potential to enhance learning, reduce youth unemployment and promote socio-economic development. However, for youth to benefit from this transformative power, they must be equipped with skills and have affordable access to connectivity.
• Access to the Internet alone is not enough. To succeed in the digital era, young people need not only digital skills but also a far broader and more holistic skillset: human skills, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, resilience, and emotional intelligence. All of these skills can be learned and developed.
• Universities and higher education institutions should provide more interdisciplinary courses where in addition to technology skills, students can learn how to conceptualize a business idea around it, as well as the ethical implications of the technologies they are building.
• Universities can also play a role in getting entrepreneurial ideas of young people off the ground, whether through funding or network connections. This elevates the confidence of young entrepreneurs to keep developing their business ideas.
• Youth entrepreneurship is essential for the global economy, and so youth needs to be equipped with technology and skills to succeed. But youth entrepreneurship also needs funding. According to one panellist, in 2020, start-ups with only female founders received less than 2% of the global venture capital funding. It is clear that more needs to be done to ensure business ideas of underrepresented communities are also supported financially.
• The most overlooked element of empowering youth – though arguably just as important – is involving them in decision-making processes. We must engage with youth in a “dialogue of equals” to help each generation understand the challenges the other faces and what each need from tomorrow’s technologies.
• Youth needs to be invited to the conversations where the future is being created. This is the moment to right the wrongs, learn from the lessons of the past and make sure the needs and values of tomorrow’s users are included in the design of today’s products, services and innovations.