YOUSUSTAIN CONFERENCE 2023: SUSTAINING SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN CITIES THROUGH YOUTH ECOPRENEURSHIP.

Context

Achieving sustainability in urban cities is a struggle for most countries on the African continent. Although the struggles in some of these cities are unique, shared challenges are ubiquitous across the continent. Poverty, population increase, unemployment, and environmental degradation are the factors that exacerbate this urban sustainability challenge. Young people are the ones affected the most by these negative stressors as they represent the majority of the region’s population and are mostly at the forefront of these stressors.

The rising population of the African continent and the quest for decent living through sustainable livelihood options forces many to migrate to urban areas in the continent. The implications of such growth patterns in fast-urbanizing communities have been grim, especially in land management and its consequential impacts on housing, human settlements, food security, waste and sanitation management, public health, water resources, mobility, disaster risk, and livelihoods. Thus, the problem of sustainability in African cities is underscored and the need for urgent action is highlighted.

Globally, governments are partnering with international development agencies and other stakeholders to create avenues for young people to establish business enterprises. These programmes empower young people with soft and hard skills to increase their employability and improve their capacity for entrepreneurship. These are manifested in job creation hubs to help young people with nano and micro businesses and enhance productivity while promoting urban sustainability. Some of the beneficiaries have established businesses that draw on the nexus between entrepreneurship and sustainability known as ecopreneurship.

For example, young people have established green business models that reintroduce carbon into the soil and prevent nutrient leaching. Others have also set up green businesses that upcycle plastic materials into sellable products like bags, raincoats and curtains sold for income.

Ecopreneurship, as the name suggests, is a business model that operates on environmental sustainability and circular economy principles. Such business principles do not only generate income but also sit at the heart of sustainability through efficient resource use, and a significant cut back on environment degradation.

Sociocultural practices and the lack of financial and technical support for young people in business are The YouSustain Conference seeks to create a platform for young people, developmental agencies, and researchers to have an intellectual discourse on how best young people can be supported to contribute to urban sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa through ecopreneurship the major challenges faced by young Africans as they venture into ecopreneurship. Thus, this has made it difficult to reach out to the broader population of young people on the continent to educate and equip them with the knowledge and wherewithal to contribute their part to the effort to promote sustainability in sub-Saharan African cities.

Conference Objective

. Specifically, the conference seeks to:

-        Provide a networking and resource opportunity for young people involved in ecopreneural businesses to share knowledge and potentially collaborate for green business development.

-        Select viable ecopreneural ideas from the conference and provide them with incubation support and potential grants for their project implementation.

-        Create a platform for young people to showcase their green businesses, products, and services, and gain exposure and visibility for their work to explore avenues for upscaling.

-        Explore how successful practices and solutions for sustainability in sub-Saharan African cities can be transformed into viable youth-led ecopreneurship ventures, and identify the key enabling factors and potential barriers to their establishment and growth.

Thematic areas

The thematic areas to be covered include, but are not limited to the following:

-        Waste management and circular economy

-        Agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable food systems

-        Climate adaptation and climate policy

-        Urban planning and governance

-        Urban transportation and innovation

-        Sustainable energy transitions

-        Education for sustainable development and environmental stewardship

-        Conservation and regeneration of urban areas and the implementation of green infrastructure

-        Climate-related hazards and nature-based solutions

-        Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene.

Target participants

Young people, including students, who are interested in green businesses and researchers and practitioners whose work is focused on young people and their potential in promoting sustainable cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Format

Hybrid (both in-person and virtual)

Conference registration and abstract submission link: bit.ly/3sGVfCr

Timeline

November 20th:                           Abstracts submission deadline

November 15th:                           Decision on submitted abstracts

November 30th:                           Submission of presentation slides, soft copy of posters, and policy brief documents.

December 6th - 8th :                      Conference dates

For Enquiries

Call +233 542530695 or write to yousustain@greenafricayouth.org