HM King Mohammed VI attaches particular importance to youth issues in Morocco and Africa, said the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, in Addis Ababa on Friday.
In a statement to the press at the end of the ministerial meeting of the African Union’s (AU) Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Youth, Culture and Sports, Mr. Bensaid stressed that the Sovereign has consistently urged the Moroccan government and AU bodies to give greater prominence to youth issues.
The ministerial meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on the issue of youth in Africa, as well as on the role of culture and the cultural industry in particular, said the Minister.
The meeting congratulated Morocco on having hosted the headquarters of the Pan-African Youth Union, he said, noting that the Kingdom is playing a pioneering role in bringing together this union made up of the Presidents of Youth Advisory Councils, which are constitutional institutions in African states.
During the meeting, the African Union Ministers of Youth, Culture and Sport also recommended the renewal of relations between the Pan-African Youth Union and the African Union Commission, through a memorandum of understanding.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Bensaid stressed that this recommendation would consolidate the Kingdom’s vision of youth issues under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, strengthen the presence of African youth at international level and develop their expertise.
The Pan-African Youth Union is a pan-African organization that was relaunched by Morocco in line with HM King Mohammed VI’s Vision to invest in African youth, given that the African continent is home to some 600 million young people.