Youths in the Horn of Africa have been urged to use social media to advocate for peace and create awareness on the impact of conflicts derailing development progress in the region. 

Igad Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, said that majority of the youths are not using the digital platforms to improve their livelihoods, with some using them to fan conflict. 

“They may use social media for entertainment and also sometimes a negative piece that will not help the youth themselves, the countries and the region as well,” he said. 

“In today’s digital age, it takes just one individual to threaten global peace. Never underestimate your power or your tools,” he added, urging the youths to seize the opportunity to be “creators and to participate in all aspects of the politics and the economy.’

Dr Gebeyehu spoke on Wednesday during the opening of Igad Youth Peace and Security Conference in Nairobi. 

The two-day event seeks to find a path to institutionalise youth participation in peace and security across the Horn of Africa. 

Gebeyehu implored the Igad member states to “invest upon technology that empower the youths in terms of technology and digitalisation.”

“It’s very easy to recruit our use not only for the good purpose but also for the bad purpose and for a wrong purpose which may create a challenge for the citizens of the region,” he said. 

According to Igad, youths aged below 30 constitute over 60 per cent of the total population in the region, a demographic that he cautioned are at crossroads.  

“We can either harness this demographic dividend for peace and prosperity, or watch it become a source of instability,” he warned, accusing leaders, charged with safeguarding the future of youth, of abandoning their roles.

“That conflict not only created by the youths.  Most of the time the politicians, the religious leaders, all part of the society can contribute for positive peace has not played their role,” he stated. 

Gebeyehu noted that bad politics and governance as well as unemployment are the key issues fueling conflict in the region, calling on leaders to seek a solution for the challenges.

On countering violent extremism, he noted that Igad Centre of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism has trained over 500 young community leaders as peace ambassadors since its establishment in seven years ago. 

The peace ambassadors, he said, are equipped in counter-messaging techniques, alternative narrative development, and community resilience building.

“These young champions are not just recipients of our programmes; they are the architects of innovative solutions,” he said.