Author:
Dr Chidera Josiah
Introduction
Africa no doubt holds a large reserve of natural resources such as cobalt, diamond and crude oil and has relied over the years on these resources for its economic growth but has continued to fall short in all indices of development including quality healthcare as measured by the sub-goals of the United Nations sustainable development goal (SDG) 3. The potential for exponential growth by leveraging its most valuable resource, the youthful human resources remains very much unexplored. There must be unlimited opportunities for young people to make their contributions if any meaningful growth will be achieved.
According to the United Nations, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of people in sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30 years. This means a proportionately high opportunity for the continent’s growth only if the youths are fully empowered to maximize their potential.
A youth possesses unique characteristics such as; good insight, innovative thinking, technological advantage, creativity, unconventional reasoning, high energy levels, etc. that enable them to have more efficient productivity than the older age groups. This implies that young people’s vibrancy and energy make them more effective drivers of change that societies need, especially when they are armed with access to the vast platforms available in today’s global space and when they have access to global opportunities that can help them break barriers.
What Are The Opportunities?
As a young person, there are vast opportunities for you to make a difference in the health sector, especially in a low-middle-income country like Nigeria. The country’s unique challenges when viewed in a positive light reveal various areas where you could flourish and leave lasting legacies.
In Nigeria for example, some of the challenges faced by the health sector include; poor leadership and governance for health, poor health financing, lack of essential medicines, weak health information systems, and proliferation of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancer amidst already existing burden of communicate diseases like HIV, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis, poor service delivery especially at the level of primary healthcare with only about 25℅ of primary health centres are functional in the country according to various reports.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3 – Good health and well-being) particularly focuses on improving access to healthcare for the members of every community and closing existing health equity gaps.
Using SDG 3 as a focus, you can begin to think and take action towards solving the teeming health problems in your community.
What is the best approach to start solving the issue of maternal and infant mortality in your community? Have you considered starting with increasing awareness of the need to seek healthcare for pregnant women and children in a tie? Remember that health education is the cheapest intervention!
How can digital technology help improve access to vaccination in your community? Have you thought about using SMS messages to disseminate information on vaccine safety and possible locations to get vaccinated for diseases like hepatitis B, and COVID-19 and routine immunization for children?
Sometimes it’s not about ‘thinking out of the box’ but rather looking at what is most available to us and local to our environment and beginning to solve the problems from there.
3 Step Solutions To Impact
Creating a niche for yourself to make an impact can be very daunting. Questions like; where do you begin to take the necessary steps to impact? How can you know that you are on the right path to making a difference? may be discouraging. Starting with these steps can be helpful;
- Self-review: This can be done using the SWOT analysis; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Jodie (2017) pointed out that SWOT can help you better understand your strengths and manage your weaknesses, uncover growth opportunities and eliminate threats that could keep you from moving forward.
2. Situation review: PESTLE is a handy acronym for exploring external factors. This creates further insight into challenges and prospects in the wider system you live in and hope to impact. One way you can make a situation review is by applying the pestle analysis to the problem area you hope to impact.
3. Implement: You can start implementing your impact solutions by creating SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound), thinking about sustainability and creating a learning system using the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
How Do You Position For Global Opportunities And Impact?
- Centeredness: This includes spirituality, faith, self-motivation, and value proposition. These give reason to your goals and keep you moving at all times.
- Mindset: You should develop a global mindset when looking at a challenge. Be patient with your process, kill self-sabotage and be bold with your ideas.
- Being goal-oriented: Dream of all possibilities, set SMART goals and commit to them.
- Personal development: Learning never stops. Acquire relevant skills that will help you stay relevant in time.
- Develop partnerships: This includes collaborations, quality friendships, mentorships and intentional networks. There will always be something you can offer.
Where To begin Today
- Write your vision statement, curriculum vitae and resume, continuously review and improve them.
- Connect; build local and international collaborations.
- Be available and ready to make necessary commitments.
- Do your research and always make informed decisions.
- Leverage your skills and connections.
- Stand on the shoulders of giants.
Conclusion
There are vast opportunities in the health sector for African youth to make contributions to sustainable development. Leveraging opportunities, your network and platforms like YOHAN Africa to explore ways to positively impact the tough challenges in Africa is a necessary step to take.
Why not begin today?
References
1st quarterly summit YOHAN Africa. (2022, Dec 16). The African youth and sustainable global impact in the health sector
YouTube. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLStM4evHBwAtdUHQd7OzBF0TsqqfKwetm&si=-l90dAE2pxOWux-N
Fossil Consulting Services, INC, 2023, Setting SMART training goals. https://www.fossilconsulting.com/blog/qualifications-and-training/setting-smart-training-goals/
Impact innovation & growth services, ltd, PESTLE Analysis. http://www.impact-innovation.co.uk/pestle-analysis
Jodie, S. (2017). How to complete a personal SWOT analysis. Thrive journal. https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-to-complete-a- personal-swot-analysis-2f8769aebd5e
Sustainable Development Goals Report (2023). Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. infographics: Good health and well-being. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/
SWOT analysis, The four components of SWOT in a 2×2 matrix (Wikipedia). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis
United Nations Office of the High Representative for the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states. Young people’s potential is the key to Africa’s sustainable development. https://www.un.org/ohrlls/news/young-people%E2%80%99s-potential-key-africa%E2%80%99s-sustainable-development