The African Youth Business Council (AfYBC), affiliated with the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has announced the selection of Engineer Mohamed Osama, an alumnus of the Nasser Fellowship for international Leadership and the Technical and Technological Support Officer for the Global Solidarity Network, as a founding member representing the North Africa region on the new executive board. This board comprises twelve African entrepreneurs under the age of forty, representing the five regions of Africa and the sixth region (the African diaspora).

Engineer Osama explained that the board members serve as a vital link between the council and its broader community of young people engaged in business and commerce across the African continent. He noted that the council is the highest authority representing the private sector and the first comprehensive youth-led organization at the continental level. He emphasized that the council is a powerful voice for young entrepreneurs and their companies, promoting young entrepreneurs and their businesses, advocating for a youth-friendly economic and commercial system, promoting fair trade and fair competition, and connecting young African entrepreneurs to participate effectively in national and intra-African trade within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Engineer Osama added that the council’s primary objectives focus on strengthening a popular front for young entrepreneurs leading to impactful business activity at the African level as a pathway to creating jobs for young people, especially in the context of the AfCFTA trade regime. He highlighted the council’s efforts to foster a comprehensive and youth-friendly business environment that addresses the common challenges facing successful youth-led entrepreneurship across the continent, such as insufficient financing, market dominance, and burdensome tax and regulatory systems.

Engineer Mohamed Osama began his professional career as a trainee within the projects of the Global Solidarity Network in 2021 and participated in the international media team. He then moved on to lead the technical and technological support team for the Nasser Youth Movement, one of the network’s largest projects. He also served as the technical support officer for the Youth of the Global South Office and contributed professionally to enhancing the virtual reality of the Nasser International Leadership Scholarship under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Engineer Mohamed Osama graduated from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at the Future University in 2023. Despite his young age, he possesses strong expertise in information technology and entrepreneurship, being the founder of “VOOG Network,” a company specializing in comprehensive digital solutions that achieve digital success, including website development, mobile application creation, and hosting services. This qualified him to be at the forefront of the African Union’s choices for the first council dedicated to entrepreneurs at the continental level.

For his part, anthropologist Hassan Ghazaly, founder of the Global Solidarity Network, praised the capabilities of Egyptian youth armed with knowledge, pointing out that the nomination of Engineer Mohamed Osama from Egypt and designer Hassnaa Farid from the Kingdom of Morocco as representatives of the North Africa region for this position came from a desire to empower Egyptian youth at the continental level and also to give Egypt a strong and professional voice within continental institutions while focusing on nominating national competencies.

Ghazaly also praised the efforts of the AfYBC in promoting the integration of young entrepreneurs into the AfCFTA agreement, based on the Protocol on Women and Youth in African Trade, as the first step towards enhancing youth integration in trade between African countries and a way to enhance youth participation in the trade policy process of the AfCFTA, expressing optimism about the ability of the new generation of African youth to bring about the desired change in Africa’s economic future.

It Is noteworthy that the new AfYBC Executive Office members, comprising prominent African entrepreneurs under the age of forty, have been appointed for a two-year term (2024-2026). Among them are Souleymane Nissaï Tourébour and Banny Jani Baki Fouziatou (West Africa); Eliud Kanyesius Gregory and Farida K. Gitonga (East Africa); Gugulethu Seso (Southern Africa); Sema Ongonbibo Irène and Serhaza Berhaika Onesiphore (Central Africa); and Hasnaa Farid and Mohamed Osama Zabal (North Africa).

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