Inclusive development needed to ensure security in Africa: officials

Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and other officials from Africa said on Sunday that "inclusive development" was needed to ensure security in the continent, especially when facing an enormous young population.

"The most urgent challenge is to create enough jobs for the continent's youth," said Annan in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

He noted "encouraging progress" which Africa has made, including falling extreme poverty and death rates, solid growth of economies and universal primary education, but added that the development in Africa is not inclusive enough.

"In fact, Africa has become the world' second most unequal continent according to the African Development Bank," Annan said, warning that a failure to share the countries' growth dividend had pushed desperate young people towards extremist groups.

"You cannot have peace without security, and you cannot have security without inclusive development," he said.

In most countries in Sub-Sahara Africa, the median age of population is under 20 years old.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, said the majority of Somalian population were under 35. These young people, however, were lack of opportunities and skills to earn a living.

"Many of the fighting forces in Al Shabaab are not there for ideological reasons. They are there for economic reasons," he said, referring to an al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia.

"With growing population, especially the youth, it could be a demographic dividend or could be a demographic disaster," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Foreign Minister of Ethiopia.

His remarks were echoed by Youssef Amrani, Morocco's Deputy Foreign Minister. "The only way to defeat extremist, to fight against illegal immigration is to respond to the expectations of young generation in Africa," he said. Endit