2023-09-21 14:32:35
Wednesday September 20, during the closing event of the African Cities Committee at the Innopolis Salon, “I’m committed to Africa” unveiled the work ‘New Voices’, 6th publication from the JMA Residence , a program for developing public policies by young people.
“Citizens, drivers of change, become the architects of our cities through their needs and their uses. It is then up to us to provide them with the tools and methods to get involved, so that they formulate citizen proposals and actively contribute to shaping the urban nature of the cities of tomorrow. This work is the embodiment of that,” declared Ileana Santos and Amina Zakhnouf, co-founders of “I am committed to Africa” during the event. Download New Voices
Round table of I’m committed to Africa
I am committed to Africa (JMA) is a citizen project of the Forbes Under 30 Africa duo, Ileana Santos and Amina Zakhnouf, which gives young people a key role in the development of public policies.
Last May, JMA launched the JMA Residence, a program aimed at encouraging the civic participation of young people and strengthening their influence with public and private decision-makers. For 3 months, 20 young people, selected by application, followed training, participated in debates and reflected on crucial issues for the development of Africa.
This first edition focused on the attractiveness of African cities, with an emphasis on secondary cities. The residents, from nine countries in Africa and Europe, worked on issues of mobility, tourism, governance and employment in three cities: Aného (Togo), Abomey Calavi (Benin) and Ben Guérir (Morocco).
They interacted with actors such as Climate Chance, the French Development Agency, the Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies, and the Global Fund for Cities Development, among others, to refine their opinions on the themes of the residence.
They also initiated a constructive dialogue with public and private decision-makers in these 3 cities to identify local opportunities and issues. For example, they met with the mayor of Aného (Togo) to discuss the city’s aspirations, tourism, environmental and youth employment needs, thus feeding into their recommendations and stimulating dialogue. multi-actor to carry out this mission.
Finally, they presented their citizen proposals to a high-level jury composed of Houda Bendib (Architect), Kolia Benié (Elected Paris 19th), Crystal Cordell Paris (Director of the Sciences Po Africa campus), Malick Diawara (Editorial manager of Le Point Afrique ), Jessy Fula (Development Director at Apos Media), Marie-France Réveillard (Journalist at La Tribune Afrique and Forbes Afrique), Sophie Renaud (Director of cooperation and corporate dialogue at the French Institute).
This Wednesday, September 20, during the Innopolis exhibition in Paris, the first promotion of the Residence presented the results of three months of work in a work entitled “New voices(es)”. These young people are students, researchers, consultants, project managers, association leaders. Together, they chose to get involved and make their voices heard.
“The Residence was also an opportunity to allow our Residents of the class of 2023 to share their convictions and recommendations on the attractiveness of African cities through a special edition of our Vocal Notes podcast :» Listen to Voice Notes
Finally, the presentation of the Residence was followed by a conference on the theme: “How to rethink mobility in Africa” in the presence of Jules Samain (CEO of Spiro), Alain Bloch (General Manager Setec International), Franck Okpeicha ( President of the Community of Communes of Plateau in Benin) and André Diouf (Senior EY Consultant and participant in the JMA Residency).
The commitment doesn’t stop there. The JMA Residence will organize coaching sessions to help citizens realize their ideas, and encourage meetings with public and private decision-makers to continue to promote the debate of ideas.
I am committed to Africa
Presentation of New Voices to Spiro and Setec International
Launched in January 2021 by the Forbes Under 30 Africa duo, Ileana Santos and Amina Zakhnouf, the public policy incubator “I am committed to Africa” (JMA) is inspired by the Policy Cycle to build a virtuous circle of policies public for an excellent Africa.
At the origin of its creation, a simple observation: the future of the world is being played out in Africa, and yet those primarily concerned seem to have little presence in the public debate. Every day, initiatives in areas such as health, culture, finance, agriculture, urban planning, digital technology and training are revolutionizing standards. From Lomé to Algiers, from Lyon to Abidjan, from Cotonou to Tangier, these initiatives demonstrate citizen commitment in search of public expression. They are the fruit of an ambition to build a desirable future for the communities they affect. So why are these African youth, who in less than 30 years will represent 35% of young people in the world, so little visible, or even absent, in the public sphere?
To respond, JMA mobilizes citizens committed to rethinking the future of public policies and creating a positive impact for a successful Africa, drawing inspiration from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Activities focus on 3 pillars: ideation (1), advocacy (2) and training (3), in order to actively build a promising future for our generation.
In figures, JMA is: +15,000 actors committed to Africa, +50 experts, +300 beneficiaries and a foothold in today 7 countries: Benin, Belgium, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, France, Morocco and Togo
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