The Indian Ocean coastlines a place in the eastern part of Africa that is, resource-wise, a rich country and some of us are blessed to call our homeland, the angelic Tanzania.
The United Republic of Tanzania is a growing agro-economy that was established under foundations of democracy, unity and peace. The backbone to the thriving of our communities rests upon a successful coexistence with nature and climate.
Like any other developing nation in the heat of the global climate crisis, Tanzania is striving to feed out development challenges which include the adverse climate change effects on agriculture. Agriculture is the nucleus of Tanzania’s development, meaning climate change doesn’t only threaten our food security but it also negatively redefines our social, political and economic welfare.
Amid the mitigation and early adaptation efforts, this anthropogenic crisis rallies against social justice and is drawing societal concerns on its heterogeneous relationship to a number of social factors including peace and security.
Tanzania is home to 59.7 million people among whom 34% are aged 15-35 and 64% are under the age of 24. With this number of youth, the country has a maximized possibility of ascending development initiatives while leveraging its youth power to spearhead solutions for pressing challenges like climate change.
Ground Youth Situation
This wonder number of youth translated to the development power is barricaded by a number of issues that are depleting its effect in contributing to the sustainability and circular economy efforts. Far away from climate change there are a number of issues challenging the youth contribution in climate action.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) around 800,000 to 1,000,000 youth are entering the job market every year in Tanzania, yet their access to formal employment is minimal. These young people are mostly limited by inadequate capital and infrastructure to support their social entrepreneurial efforts when it comes to enterprising.
Additionally, young people in Tanzania lack skills to link formal education and job market requirements for them to succeed in a fast-paced and diverse technological environment. Summatively, skills, tools and techniques for young people to attain employment or source out enterprises are still lacking.
Despite young Tanzanians offering a good deal of contribution in sustainable development and climate action, their representation in decision making and governance at all levels is very low. Technology on the other hand has been a useful tool for mobilization and society is experiencing a slow turn where more young people in Tanzania are going for leadership seats and demanding to be heard. This then paints out underrepresentation to be another priority challenge.
Migration has been another factor needing to be toned down in Tanzania. Adversely, climate change has disrupted agricultural systems in most rural areas leading to young people shifting from these rural areas to urban cities in search of new opportunities.
Having in mind that cities like Dar es Salaam already have an influx of young graduates needing opportunities, the shifts then only result in a scramble for resources which is again, unsustainable.
People will probably move because of unfavorable conditions, and lest we not forget that uncontrolled migration is a factored circular motion of social systems and environmental destruction.
“The best hope [to address these] challenges is with the new generations, we need to make sure that we are able to strongly invest in those new generations,”
~ António Guterres (9th United Nations Secretary General)
The above mentioned challenges, among others, have deterred young Tanzanians from being a powerful force against climate change. Above is the road to leave behind before even starting to navigate the challenging dynamics of climate change alone.
It is like being tasked to build a ship without resources then sent to look for treasure in the vast sea without a map. Issues around Climate change are not well understood by these young people and they were already disadvantaged by a number of issues before climate change came. How do we expect them to fully assume responsibility to solve the crisis?
Uncontrolled migration is a factored circular motion of social systems and environmental destruction.Careen Joel
Forging Forward
So,what if decision makers and exterior climate action contributors started changing the trajectory of their plans to also accommodate recovery and resilience measures in rural areas under a ‘rural community owned’ solutions framework? What if holistic climate finance was piped in for young people in the rural areas to access and be part of the agricultural projects? What if capacity building initiatives around climate mitigation, adaptation and advocacy were brought to rural areas so that the youth there can be versed enough to be part of this transition?
Issues like unemployment, the struggle for civic space and unsustainable migration may prompt us as a community to begin to look at the concept of social acceptance and its varied impacts on the response of citizens in nation building endeavors.
Sense of belonging conveys an intrinsic motivation to affiliate with others and be socially accepted by others. In a democratic country like Tanzania people share a common social identity, have access to collective goods and opportunities whilst also taking part to form collective laws and principles that we they live by. People expect a reciprocated balance of duties and obligations with state rights.
On the other hand, if this expected balance is tempered with and there’s an exclusion or lack of full participation in the decision making process and national proceedings it may fire up the sense of not-belonging. Consequently, a generation with no interest on national matters arises and in turn the surface of lower contribution in alarming issues like Climate change. If we want more youth participation in climate action our civic space should reflect political inclusivity and socio-economic opportunities for young people.
Like the old times, this is the part where I ask you to sit down in this virtual space so that I can narrate to you an illustration as we begin to navigate the next concept concerning youth participation in climate action.
Imagine that you were a businessperson and a parent who was born from a line of hardworking men and women who run a family business that defines them and prides the meaning of their existence. Your child is then the next in line to take up the family business after you and the only hope for its longevity. Logically, you will take them along at an early age and they will have to learn the foundational values and practices of the business. They will have to practice, fail, learn, find their own unique additions and hone their skill to perfection until they are not only the heir to the business but the business itself because it is crucial that they be so if they have to be positioned best to again hand the business down to their children after them.
Every successful thing has a secret ingredient for its ascension, as a wise parent and ambitious businessperson you would then tell these goings to your child, so that the business remains relevant and unique throughout lifetimes. The best way for all your legacies to live and be remembered.
Dear reader,
The above narration is the mirrored parallel to the concept of ‘Intergenerational Co-leadership’
For our generations to win, leaders need to help young people as future leaders to understand systems, co-lead along with them and develop management capacities in all spheres, ready for the time that they are to assume office.
Thinking sustainably, the future and longevity of Tanzania does not only depend on the current leaders, as it depended on the former leaders, so does it on future leaders who are currently young people. We are synonymous just like the viewpoint of our founding father H.E Mwl. Jullius K. Nyerere, the only difference is the era of entering office. Current leaders should help young Tanzanians understand the systems of administration, channel learning opportunities to them and allow them to co-lead under their guidance. You are not competitors to their millennial mindset but advisers helping them to find best ways to align their millennial mindset with the foundational systems of the nation.
On the road to Cop27 at Sharm El Sheikh – Egypt , let decision makers revisit the challenges faced by young people holistically, jointly find solutions for pre-existed and current challenges. This will cultivate a good ground for young people to participate in climate initiatives. Let us forge forward banking on inclusive and transparent discussions, skills sharing and empowering our youth to be part of creating innovative solutions for climate related effects. And lastly, let us not assume what the youth want, but rather do inclusive, transparent and wide range consultations to collect the views from young people which will then be the roadmap for taking action.
Mungu Ibariki Tanzania! Mungu awabariki vijana wa Tanzania!
