Prior to joining Emerging Public Leaders, Abigail Kajumba was in charge of NGO offices across more than 20 African countries. She has worked with and within governments, as well as with bi- and multilateral institutions.
The following is an extract from the interview.
DW: You work with young people but young Africans are very frustrated. They are very frustrated about the lack of development, they're very frustrated about the level of corruption, frustrated about politics and power. My question is basically, where is the continent at, why are we in this situation where, you know, development is not working?
Abigail Kajumba: Well, I think there's a few things that I can unpack with what you said. I mean, starting with the first point, I think young people and citizens in various countries in Africa, a number of people are frustrated. But there's also hope. I think I'm always inspired and encouraged, actually, by how young people ... anyone, and especially young people, often have more hope. You know, they're less tired, they're less "Uh, it has to be the way it is, because that's the way it's been." I find that young people are actually really inspiring. They're actually very forward-thinking and they have the energy and it's one of the reasons why they need to be in leadership now as well as Africa being a young continent. There's energy with youth.
For more, watch the video above.