The Role of Global Youth Leadership Forums in Promoting Sustainable Development in Africa: a Case Study of Kenya

Abstract

This study seeks information on the role of global youth leadership forums in promoting sustainable development in Africa and focussed on its three objectives to confirm the study’s hypotheses. To achieve this, the study narrows down on the relationship between the youth in their Global Youth Leadership Forums and national development to examine and analyse if they have an impact on sustainable development in the country, strengthen national leadership and governance and lastly contribute to the national interests of the state. The liberal theory best guides this study as one of its major principles is supporting the involvement of nongovernmental actors and international organizations in shaping state preferences in the study’s case national development. Questionnaires and Interviews guides were used in data collection to confirm the studies hypotheses. The study confirmed the hypotheses that global youth leadership forums do strengthen national leadership and governance in Kenya. The study recommends academic scholars to explore the opportunity in youth work for them to have a niche in the quest for youth development and to engage and collaborate more with government, youth and civil society by helping bridge the knowledge gap. Lastly, the study recommends the collaboration of all actors in youth initiatives by having the youth council fully representational of all sectors in the youth sector and its capacity be built as a central institution for youth engagement and policy centre