18 presidents for Kampala youth meet
Wednesday, 20th February, 2008
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By Joyce Namutebi EIGHTEEN presidents, including the Libyan leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi, are expected in the country next month for the Afro-Arab Youth Festival. The conference to be attended by 2,500 youth leaders from African and Arabian countries, will be held in Munyonyo from March 7 to 14, the spokesperson, Joseph Kasozi, said yesterday. The theme is ‘Youth in Social and Political Development.’ Kasozi, who is also the Youth MP for the central region, said 20 countries had so far confirmed attendance. Addressing journalists at Parliament, Kasozi revealed that the youth state minister, James Kinobe, on Tuesday left for Libya to confirm Gaddafi’s attendance and seek for financial assistance. The conference is to cost sh5b and the Libyan leader pledged $1m, Kasozi said. He added that the other presidents who had confirmed attendance were Omar El-Bashir of Sudan, the Sultan of Brunei and the Bashar al-Assad of Syrian. Bashir has offered some money for the conference. Kasozi said of the 2,500 delegates, 1,500 would be Arabs, 500 Africans and 500 Ugandans. President Yoweri Museveni, the patron for the conference, is expected to open it on March 7, while Gaddafi will close it on March 14. Topics to be discussed include youth and peace building, economic opportunities for youth, citizenship in Africa and the Arab world, challenges faced by women in the Arab countries, the Afro-Arab space and democratisation. “We thought it important for the Africans and Arabs to come together because of their geographical location. Our interests are almost similar. We are third world countries. We have challenges in democracy and good governance, development and youth empowerment,” Kasozi explained. “We didn’t want Americans because they are a little bit ahead of us.” The Ugandan representatives have been picked from political parties, NGOs and youth leagues and councils. Kasozi said the conference would be bigger than the Commonwealth summit held in Kampala.
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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