Afrika: Liberale Jugendorganisation neu aufgestellt

Mdaka, Nasser, More, Shampile, Stambuli, Namugga und Kikanda African liberal youth politics has a new name: “The Organization of African Liberal Youth – Liberals Energizing Africa’s Democracy (OALY-LEAD)”. After months of reviewing liberal youth activities and its purpose in Africa, 22 participants of OALY-LEAD from 14 African countries converged in Johannesburg from 21-25 February 2011, to review and discuss a proposal for the organization’s future engagement in Africa. The main agenda was to review what was termed the five key elements which would guide the process of re-engineering OALY-LEAD’s future strategic plan.

The strategic document was drafted in 2009 by the Interim Management Committee (IMC), under the leadership of the former President of OALY, Mr Sidi Toure, with a team of representatives from the New Patriotic Party Youth (Ghana), Civic United Front Youth (Tanzania/Zanzibar), United Party for National Development Youth (Zambia), DAY and the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY). The key elements, which were identified by the IMC, and subsequently discussed during the OALY-LEAD seminar, were the identity, relevance, core business, external relationships and the structure of the organization.

The official opening was delivered by FNF Africa Regional Director, Mr Hubertus von Welck, DAY National Federal Leader, Mr Makashule Gana and Ms Masechaba Mdaka, FNF Project Officer (Johannesburg, South Africa). The participants got the opportunity to share their experiences, learned about each others similarities and other existing liberal networks, which work in Africa, and discussed the way forward for an efficient working structure for OALY-LEAD. The facilitation was conducted by Mr Daouda Seck, FNF Project Officer (Dakar, Senegal) alongside Ms Mdaka, Ms Katja Egger, FNF Project Officer (Cape Town, South Africa) and Mr Erich Fuhrmann, FNF Intern (Johannesburg, South Africa).


Nast The participants visited the Mid-Vaal Municipality, the only DA run municipality in the province of Gauteng. The mayor of Mid-Vaal, H.E Timothy Nast, officially welcomed the group at the municipal offices. The participants got the opportunity to see how a DA run municipality has grown from nothing to surpassing its counterparts in the same province through innovative measures for development, and how youth upliftment is taking place in the area. A tour of a local clinic with various facilities, and a visit to the public library show-cased the quality of life that Mid-Vaal is offering its inhabitants. The participants were also treated with a lovely dinner organized by the municipal office.

African Liberal Network (ALN) Vice President for Southern Africa, Mr Clement Stambuli also attended the last day of the congress in cognizance of ALN’s promise to support and engage with the new bureau of OALY-LEAD. Mr Stambuli spoke about the importance and value of youth involvement and cooperation within mother parties to bring in new leadership and ideas to progress and further entrench the principles of liberal democracy as well as to ensure the political longevity of liberal political parties in Africa.

The secretariat will be based in Johannesburg. The new bureau members are:
President: Mr Lebo More (South Africa);
Vice Presidents: Mr Ameth Nasser (Senegal), Mr Ghislain Kikanda (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Ms Stenah Shampile (Zambia)
Treasurer: Ms Zahrah Namugga (Uganda)

A heartfelt thank you to the DAY for co-hosting the event with FNF, the facilitation team, the superb interpretation services, the Mid-Vaal municipal staff and most of all to the participants for bringing life to the organization with their enthusiasm and progressive ideas. The hard work begins now, and the new bureau is geared for success!

Masechaba Mdaka
FNF Johannesburg

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