Abstract:
Africa’s rapidly expanding youth population offers
an opportunity for social and economic transformation.
However, persistent gaps in adolescent and youth sexual
and reproductive health (SRH) continue to undermine
human capital development. Invest in youth SRH can
accelerate economic and social transformation. Failure to
invest in youth SRH can exacerbate unemployment and
economic instability. Therefore, strengthening youth SRH
is central to achieving Africa’s demographic dividend.
This paper synthesizes insights from the East, Central and
Southern Africa (ECSA) Regional Youth Summit on SRH.
The summit convened youth leaders and key stakeholders
from ten ECSA countries to identify priorities for
accelerating SRH progress. Findings indicated that poor
SRH outcomes are due to commodity shortage and weak
accountability mechanisms. Improved SRH was reported
to have the potential of social and economic returns.
Priority policy recommendations included strengthening
youth-friendly services, improving financing, integrating
mental health with SRH, and leveraging digital
innovations.
