By Orumwense Sarah O.
The Edo State Commissioner for Youth and Humanitarian Affairs, Hon. Zubairu Dada Abubakar, has received, on behalf of Edo State Government, a delegation from Idalia Africa.
In a meeting which held at the Ministry’s office in Benin City, on Thursday August 15, 2024, Abubakar assured the Team of the State Government’s commitment to empowering youth and promoting initiatives that align with youth development.
He pledged the support of his Ministry as the umbrella body for youths in the State, assuring them of collaborations, while commending Idalia Africa’s efforts in providing virtual lectures, internships, and international partnerships, noting that such initiatives will transform the lives of young people and prepare them for leadership roles in Africa and the global community.
The Commissioner emphasized the importance of innovation and education in driving progress and prosperity in Africa, noting that the visit marked an important step towards establishing partnerships and support for Idalia Africa’s initiatives, while looking forward to a fruitful collaboration on youth development in the State.
According to the Team Leader and co-founder of Idalia Africa, Mr. David Dosu, “The visit aimed to introduce Idalia Africa‘s initiatives, explore potential collaborations, and discuss ways to elevate Africa’s role in global innovation and education.
“Idalia Africa is an initiative co-founded by two graduates of the University of Benin – Destiny Ogedegbe, a Harvard-trained New York Attorney and David Dosu, a Master’s student in Particle Physics at the University of Clermont, France, Technical University of Dortmund, Germany, and University of Bologna, Italy. The non-profit Organization seeks to inspire and empower African youth to take an active role in global innovation and education”.
The Idalia Africa’s Team stated its objectives to include; inspiring efforts to elevate Africa’s role in global innovation and education through the provision of impactful virtual lectures to reach wide audience of young people; sending students abroad for internships and partnerships to gain international experience; addressing the low quality of education in Africa by increasing access to quality educational resources, and reducing brain drain by promoting innovation and opportunities.
Dosu concluded that Idalia Africa is currently partnering with the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Simons Foundation, amongst others.
In a related development, members of the Second Assembly of the Edo State Youth Parliament paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry to familiarize themselves and expressed gratitude for the Ministry’s coordination during their elections and inauguration.
The Commissioner urged the Speaker, Honorable Fawaz Muhammad in company of other honorable members of the Youth Parliament, to also familiarize themselves with their various constituencies and local government council chairmen, in order to fashion out areas of collaborations aimed at youth development. He emphasized the importance of collaboration and support for youth development initiatives in the State, encouraging the Youth Parliament to work closely with the Ministry to achieve their objectives.
Hon. Abubakar highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to empowering youth and promoting innovation and education, assuring that the Ministry is dedicated to creating an enabling environment for youth development, and willing to support initiatives that align with its goals.
