Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
Former Acting Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defence, Dr. Sunday Attah, has called for a fundamental shift in how African youths are perceived, declaring that they should no longer be seen as problems to be managed but as promises to be fulfilled.
Attah made the assertion on Wednesday in Abuja while chairing the launch of the African Youth Peace Corps (AYPC), a continental initiative aimed at raising a new generation of Peace Ambassadors across Africa.
Speaking at the event, Attah said Africa’s future rests significantly on its youthful population, stressing that young people remain the continent’s greatest asset and strategic resource for development.
According to him, despite challenges such as poverty, unemployment, insecurity, violent extremism, drug abuse, cybercrime, climate change and social exclusion, Africa possesses an enormous demographic advantage capable of driving peace and prosperity if properly harnessed.
He noted that African youths are not liabilities but assets, adding that they are not spectators of history but builders of history with a critical role in shaping the continent’s future.
”Africa’s greatest resource is not oil, gold, gas or diamonds. Africa’s greatest resource resides within its young people—their minds, creativity, resilience and dreams,” Attah said.
The former Defence Ministry official emphasized that peace remains the foundation for sustainable development, noting that peace transcends the absence of war.
According to him, peace embodies justice, opportunity, inclusion, dignity and hope, warning that sustainable development cannot thrive amid violence, instability and division.
He therefore challenged young Africans to become peace ambassadors, bridge-builders, defenders of human dignity and agents of reconciliation capable of fostering unity and progress across the continent.
The event also witnessed the formal inauguration of the African Youth Peace Corps as a continental movement committed to promoting peacebuilding and sustainable development across Africa.
In his address, the Convener and Continental Coordinator-General of AYPC, Amb. Dr. Abdulwaheed Odewale, outlined the organisation’s vision and strategic programmes aimed at equipping young Africans with leadership skills, civic values and peacebuilding capacities.
Odewale disclosed that AYPC would promote School Peace Clubs, Community Peace Initiatives, Youth Leadership Academies, Digital Literacy Programmes, Environmental Sustainability Campaigns, Interfaith Dialogue Platforms and Volunteer Service Schemes across the continent.
He said the initiatives are designed to empower young Africans to address emerging challenges while promoting peace, social cohesion and responsible citizenship.
”Sustainable peace can only be achieved through dialogue, justice, inclusion, respect for diversity and equal opportunities for all members of society,” he stated.
The AYPC Convener further disclosed that the organisation would collaborate with governments, traditional institutions, faith-based organisations, educational institutions, civil society groups and development partners to advance peacebuilding efforts.
He urged African youths to reject terrorism, violent extremism, criminality, cybercrime, hate speech, ethnic and religious intolerance, drug abuse and all forms of violence that threaten peace and human dignity.
Instead, Odewale called on young people to embrace integrity, patriotism, innovation, entrepreneurship, environmental responsibility and peaceful coexistence as essential values for nation-building and continental progress.
Expressing optimism about the continent’s future, he said Africa’s destiny would not be determined by its challenges but by the willingness of its people—particularly its youth—to create solutions, build bridges and promote unity across borders.
The launch, which coincided with the International Day of the African Child, attracted stakeholders from government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners, youth groups and members of the diplomatic community.
Delivering a goodwill message, Member of the Governing Council of AYPC and Founder of IFP World Family Initiative, UN Global Peace Advocate, Amb. Queen Hadassah Ibinyingi Allaputa, underscored the importance of inner peace in building peaceful societies.
According to her, a peaceful heart produces peaceful communities, while a generation at peace with itself can become a transformative force across Africa.
She emphasized that young people are not only the future of Africa but also the architects of its peace and development, stressing that sustainable peace begins from within through self-awareness, resilience, hope and positive values.
Allaputa also highlighted unity as a catalyst for Africa’s progress, noting that despite the continent’s diverse cultures, languages and backgrounds, its strength lies in collective action towards a shared vision.
She encouraged young Africans to choose collaboration over division, build bridges of understanding and become ambassadors of peace in their communities.
”Through unity, service and shared purpose, we can build the peaceful and prosperous Africa we all desire,” she said.
Other speakers at the event included Dr. Khadija Abdullahi Iya, Founder of Women Community in Africa; Dr. Maimuna Sheila Salim, Summit Chairperson of Women Community in Africa; Dr. Gbenga Oni, AYPC Continental Director of Training and Membership; and Dr. Ahmed Abdul Yusuf, National Secretary of the Congress for Sustainable Development of Nigeria.
Organisers described the launch of AYPC as the beginning of a continental movement of hope, service, leadership and peace aimed at empowering young Africans to become catalysts for sustainable transformation across Africa.
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