DAR ES SALAAM: YOUTH and innovation stakeholders have expressed readiness to play a leading role in spurring digital transformation and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
They revealed that in Dar es Salaam this week during the SDGs Youth Dialogue organized by the United Nations (UN) Tanzania aimed at evaluating the country’s pace on achieving SDGs with youths being at centre stage.
UN Young Leader for SDGs Mr Gibson Kawago, who doubles as the founder of WAGA, a company venturing in clean energy said youth can build up momentum for the country’s digitalization by innovating essential technologies to facilitate changes.
He told fellow youth that there is no need for worrying so much that the latest technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) will alienate their jobs instead they should come up with innovation to operate such automated technologies.
Mr Kawago urged every youth to play its role to ensure that SDGs are achieved in the country by finding solutions on every respective goal, noting that every single goal from the total of 17 SDGs there are opportunities for prosperity.
“Just pick one SDGs and use it as an opportunity, you as a youth should look where you are going to tap opportunities” he said.
Mr Kawago noted that, between transition to green energy and climate change restoration the country’s youths have only two options, to either regret their failure to contribute to the SDGs realization or to one day celebrate their contribution of making the world a better place.
He said youth should take the lead on manufacturing electric vehicles (EV) to cut carbon emission and create jobs rather than relying on imports alone.
He further called upon youth to cultivate financial consciousness through effective utilization of their income as a result of their labour noting that financial managerial skills are crucial in generating capital for innovation and investment at large.
Development Consultant in Digital, Gender and Africa Free Continental Areas (AfCFTA), Ms Diana Ninsiima said digital transformation offers a borderless market for youths to sell their products insisting on them to innovate so as to speed up SDGs realization in the country.
Meanwhile, Country’s Former Member of Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network, Ms Delicia Mwanyika challenged youth to grab opportunities arising from emerging blue economy by bringing digital solutions for instance upgrading shipments in the country’s ports.
Additionally, she highlighted opportunities in pipeline by the global environment conservation efforts such as carbon trading which allow individual people to plant as many trees as possible and to be paid in return.
The 17 SDGs were adopted by all UN member states in 2015 to provide a shared blueprint for people and the earth planet’s peace and present and future prosperity aiming at uprooting poverty, no hunger, good health and wellbeing, quality education and among others.
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