African Development Bank launches writing contest for young Africans to make their voices heard and accelerate Africa's industrialization

What does the future of Africa look like? How will the fourth industrial revolution shape the economies, jobs and lives of tomorrow? The African Development Bank is prompting Africa's youth to think about these questions, put pen to paper and enter The Africa of my Dreams writing contest, launched on Thursday, 22 February 2018.

The contest aims to reinforce the Bank's commitment to Africa's youth and bring their voice and perspective into discussions of the continent's development. Four winners will get the opportunity to participate in the Bank's Annual Meetings taking place in May this year in Busan, Korea.

Young media professionals as well as the general public between the ages of 20 to 29 can enter the competition.

Participants must be a national of one of the 54 African countries and submit an unpublished journalistic piece, in the media category, or an unpublished essay or creative writing piece, in the general category. Entries must be no longer than 1,000 words, be in English or French--the Bank's two official languages--and be related to the contest's theme, "Accelerating Africa's Industrialization". The deadline is 23h59 universal time, March 26, 2018.

By recognizing the energy, creativity and innovative thinking that they bring to the table, the Bank aims to encourage the youth to reflect on the pivotal role they play in the development of their countries and the continent. It is expected that the population of the youth will double from the current 480 million to reach 840 million, by 2050, and Africa will be the youngest continent in the world.

Today, however, Africa's youth bear the brunt of unemployment. In order to change this, the African Development Bank has put youth at the forefront of its priorities, spearheaded by the Jobs for Youth strategy.

Accelerating Africa's development through industrialization is also one of the Bank's strategic priorities, the High 5s. The rise and diversification of investments in the continent as well as the structural factors that have contributed to its sustained economic growth, such as demographics, growing internal markets, urbanization and technological developments, represent a driving force to accelerate the Africa's industrialization.

Leveraging the youth's innovative and creative potential can play a crucial role in industrializing Africa.

More information on The Africa of my Dreams writing contest, including its requirements, rules and regulations, and prizes can be found at: http://bit.ly/2EJUt9Z .