Presidential Research & Communications Unit

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has told the visiting Commonwealth Secretary General, Dr. Kamalesh Sharma that issues of gender empowerment and youth present a great challenge, especially in Africa and Asia, and should receive the attention of the organisation.

The President said, “youth and women are the most vulnerable in developing societies, hence the rapid growth of civil society groups and non-governmental organisations focussed on their issues”, adding that “a large number of youth are unemployed, and this could lead to social problems”.

President Yar’Adua told Dr. Sharma at the State House Abuja on Thursday April 16 that Nigeria was looking at several policy options such as utilising the youth to tackle environmental issues confronting the nation, while providing them with jobs.

He said, “a vast majority of women in Africa and Asia reside in the rural areas, with attendant poverty, so empowerment of this important group is critical and must be confronted by the Commonwealth”.

He welcomed the Commonwealth Secretariat’s choice of youth issues for the forthcoming Summit of the heads of the organisation, adding that Nigeria would welcome the consideration of other issues such as food and energy security, in the face of the ongoing world economic crisis, and the environment.

Earlier, Dr. Kamalesh Sharma had told the President that he was visiting various Commonwealth nations to find out the issues leaders wished to discus at the next Summit of the heads of government later in the year, adding that the Secretariat had so far chosen youth and the environment.

The Commonwealth Secretary General expressed concern at the world financial crisis, adding that developing nations would suffer the effect, even though they had no hand in its origin. He said the organisation was taking steps help member nations build a democratic culture, by sharing experiences among each other.

Also today, two new ambassadors, Mr. Miroslav Hacek of the Slovak Republic and Mr. Rashid Nasir Al-Dhahiri of the United Arab Republic presented their letters of credence to President Yar’Adua at State House.