Have a Conversation With Q&A Session With Leading Tech Entrepreneurs

The lifecycle of any venture is a learning process for the entrepreneur. At CcHub, we believe there is a strong place for exploring the knowledge gained by significant players in the tech industry to support new/existing ventures embarking on similar journeys towards success.

In light of this, CcHUB invites you to join them for “A Conversation With…” – an interactive experience providing budding tech entrepreneurs the opportunity to ask and get answers to burning questions that are most beneficial to the growth of their ventures from the perspective of leaders of significant venture-funded tech companies in the ecosystem.

This edition will be a high-powered Q&A session bringing together Sim Shagaya(Founder & CEO, Konga Online Shopping), Ayodeji Adewunmi(Co-Founder & CEO, Jobberman), Jason Njoku(Founder & CEO, iROKO), and Tayo Oviosu (Founder & CEO, Paga) to share insights on launching and growing a technology startup in Nigeria.

Date: 4th December, 2014

Time: 4-7pm

Venue: CcHUB, 6th Floor, 294 Herbert Macaulay Way, Sabo, Yaba.

As is our custom, there will be plenty to eat and drink while enjoying the ambience that the CcHUB rooftop provides.

To apply and for more information visit here

Win $2,000 and Get Your idea Adopted by Total Nigeria

Total Nigeria Plc and Wennovation Hub are pleased to announce the launch of the first edition of Total-Wennovation Hackathon and invite concept notes submissions. The Hackathon is targeted at harnessing innovative technological solutions to solve defined problem statement by Total, with the purpose of improving business productivity and profitability. It is an opportunity to build for a multinational with global reputation.

WORTH

• The top 10 entries/ideas/concepts during an initial selection period that closes December 7, 2014 will be invited to a Hackathon to hold from 16^th to 18^th December.
• They will be assisted to recruit team members with the necessary skills and needed for the Hackathon. Data sent around the problem statements will also be made available.
• Winner- $1,000 + potential adoption by Total Nig. Plc
• First Runner-up – $500 + potential adoption by Total Nig. Plc
• Second Runner-up – $250 + potential adoption by Total Nig. Plc
• + Free Total products

ELIGIBILITY

• The competition is open to everyone including ideators, developers and non-developers
• He/she must be older than 18
• Open to only Nigerians

DEADLINE: 7^th December, 2014

To enter and for more information visit here

Apply! Executive Assistant Internship at Connected Development [CODE],Abuja

Deadline:December 9, 2014.
Connected Development [CODE] is a non government organization whose mission is to improve access to information and empower local communities in Africa. We strengthen local communities by creating platforms for dialogue, enabling informed debate, and building capacities of marginalized communities which will bring about social and economic progress within communities, while promoting transparency and accountability.
CODE is looking for committed, motivated and dynamic persons to join the team to contribute and enhance their activities in a professional, efficient and effective manner.
Applicants are hereby invited from suitable qualified persons for a three month Internship Program as an Executive Assistant and Communications Intern. (Our internship position can be renewed up to a maximum of 3 months more, if intern is found suitable on-the-job)
General Description
Under the leadership of The Chief Executive, the Executive Assistant & Communications Intern will provide overall guidance and leadership in the areas of Documentation and Knowledge Management including the coordination of various program activities and dissemination of information and research findings to CSOs practitioners, project partners and the public at large. S/he will collaborate with project staff, research networks and knowledge dissemination hubs worldwide to produce and package research findings, share relevant technical information and create communications and dissemination materials/products relevant to civil societies in Africa. Further, the Interns will participate in analysing and synthesising research findings and programme experiences and will assist in the documentation of successful practices. S/he will facilitate, through multiple venues, mechanisms, and technology, effective processes, systems and tools to share knowledge to CODE’s partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. The Interns will be a member of the management team. S/he will also provide technical writing assistance to staff and partners.

Executive Assistant (3 months Internship) at Connected Development [CODE]
Work Hours (8am – 5pm) from Monday – Friday except during public holidays and sometimes might need to be present at our events during the weekend
Gender: Female only

Job Purpose:
This position will perform scheduling, meeting logistics, guest receiving and general administrative assistance for multiple experts and team as a shared resource. This role takes an administrative intern to juggle priorities, understand requests and needs and deliver clear and professional communications and support. This role will participate on administrative projects, deliver and track proposals, and will partner with all levels of staff, experts and the full administration team.

Administrative Responsibilities Include
Support and coordinate schedules and administrative requests for multiple CODE projects.
Anticipate and respond with quality, professional administrative support
Prepare expense reconciliations for team and volunteers
Shepherd contract or proposal process, orientation schedule, onboarding and offboarding when requested
Work well with all levels of the organization; editors, volunteers, staff, technical staff, contractors, Experts etc.
Provide administrative solutions and quality support at all times.
Hold confidentiality and ability to work with sensitive matters and information.
Ability to work with colleagues who do not have English as primary language
Special projects as assigned including working on small to large events with other team members

Required Qualifications
A year of administrative support in a medium organization / voluntary organization / academic institution
Bachelor’s degree in any field
Demonstrated technical aptitude and savvy, ability to adjust, learn and use new and different open source s/w.
Excellent calendar management and meeting preparation skills
Setting up Teleconference and video conferencing meetings

Comfortable and experienced with technology, various a/v equipment, and s/w.

Excellent writing and communication skills.

Expert in the use of Microsoft Office Suites

Excellent organization and planning skills

Superior attention to detail and ability to anticipate needs and provide solutions

Excellent ability work with all levels of staff including a wide range of diversity of staff

Ability to learn, adapt and thrive in changing technical environment
Must enjoy supportive, service oriented administrative work within a team of professionals

Additional Desired Qualifications

Experience in event planning, local or international travel and speaking additional languages (Hausa is a priority)

Open Source knowledge and strong desire to learn and be part of free access and open source movement

Working with Spreadsheets as a Travel and Expense system

International time zone and virtual community experience

Working with virtual communities

Experience with editing on Wikipedia, Google Documents or other wiki projects
1 a. interested applicants must send the following to the email address at apply@connecteddevelopment.org

1.    Application letter together with a Curriculum Vitae/Resume in MS Word or PDF;
2.    At least, names of 2 referees must be included in the CV
3.    Deadline for submission of application is December 9, 2014.
4.    Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Be at the 2014 Youth, Innovation and Transparency Camp in Nairobi Kenya.

UNDP in partnership with Infonet Africa, Transparency International and the Presidency Republic of Kenya is calling for applications for the 2014 Africa Youth Integrity Camp. The theme this year will focus on enhancing accountability in public service through Innovation and Integrity. The Youth Camp is scheduled for from 8 to 14 December 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya.
ELIGIBILITY

• 25 to 35 years
• Working within the following specific sectors: public sectors (including youths in every ministerial department and electoral management bodies), private sector and civil society organizations and the media.

DEADLINE: 30^th November, 2014.
To apply and for more information visit here

ECULAW NEEDS TO HIRE STAFF FOR ITS LAGOS OFFICE QUALIFICATIONS / REQUISITE SKILLS AND APTITUDES

ECULAW NEEDS TO HIRE STAFF FOR ITS LAGOS OFFICE
QUALIFICATIONS / REQUISITE SKILLS AND APTITUDES
1) She is a graduate with no less than 2:2 Honours (or equivalent), preferably in the arts or social sciences.
2) She is between 23 and 33 years of age
3) She is very well spoken and proficient in written English.
4) She is presentable, i.e., capable of capturing without effort the positive attention of everybody in a room if she walks in.
5) Comfortable with major office-related computer softwares and can type fast and process documents without need for help.
6) She is level-headed, emotionally mature and stable, logical and analytical in problem solving.
7) She gets along well with people of diverse backgrounds.
8) She can work well in a multi-tasked and pressure environment.
9) She is a fast learner and sincerely good person.

JOB DESCRIPTION:
She is an administrator and would be working closely with management and professional staff of the firm.
She will coordinate most non-core activities of the firm.
She is a client-relations manager.
She will be responsible for billing.
She is a key figure in the firm's business development activities.
REMUNERATIONS
This will be competitive and progressive.
ECULAW IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
We do not care about your religion or ethnicity or which part of the country your parents came from. In fact, throughout the interview, you will not be asked any questions about these. Every candidate who meets the listed qualifications will stand equal chance. DPA members shall receive priority consideration.
If you are interested or you know someone interested, please forward a resume no later than 10th December to:
Eculaw1@gmail.com.
Decision will be made by January 10, 2015.

Attend the International Development Youth Forum 2015 in Tokyo, Japan

Applications are now invited from youth worldwide to participate in the International Development Youth Forum (IDYF) 2015 taking place form March 1to March 8, 2015 at the Youth Education National Olympics memorial Youth Centre in Tokyo, Japan. The IDYF 2015 will bring together around 50 people from diverse nationalities to discuss the future of the developing world.

Since 2013, International Development Youth Forum is held annually, and youth with high ambition for international development get together from all over the world. Under the slogan, ‘Design Our future’, the IDYF seeks to achieve three things:

• Building continuous network among youth who are interested in international development
• Providing opportunity that one can broaden one’s value, knowledge and way of thinking
• Creating outcome that produces new change to society

WORTH

• JPY 30,000 (USD as of November 1) including food and dormitory during the forum and not including the optional tour
• Two kinds of scholarships for youth with high potentials coming from developing countries including fully funded scholarship (including participation fee and airplane ticket), and exemption of participation fee (not including airplane ticket)

ELIGIBILITY

• Youth from around the world are welcome
• Applicants should be 18 and 28 years old
• Any nationalities are eligible for IDYF 2015

DEADLINE: 9th December, 2014

To apply and for more information visit here

APPLY: Leadership Training for Five Women

Riplington & Associates are organizing a leadership training for FIVE women champions (18-30 years) who are advocates for girls’ education.
OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING

1. To illustrate the importance of being advocates for girls’ education to young female entrepreneurs.
2. To highlight ways of aspiring girls to reach greater heights in their education at all levels.
3. Opportunity to network and engage with girls’ education advocates

Training will take place in Abuja on the 2^nd December, 2014. No funding for transport and accommodation.
This training is supported by development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC)
DEADLINE: 28th November 2014
Interested champions to email their CV and Cover Letter (outlining why they should be selected) to info@randaedu.com or info@randaedu.com

APPLY: Cameron Women’s Fellowship 2014 by the British Council

The British High Commission Yaounde invites young women who have had at least a first degree to apply for the 2014 Cameroon Women’s Scholarship. The British High Commission funded scholarship scheme aims at training women at master degree levels in Cameroon’s State Universities/private Higher Learning Institutions and by so doing empower them to become active participants in their country’s development and be ambassadors of change among their peers.
The priority areas in which candidates are sought for 2014/2015 as follows:

• Human rights
• Rule of law/ governance
• Information and communication technology
• Development studies media management and legislation
• Security (International Security/Security Management/Terrorism/Regional Development/Conflict Resolution/Peace Studies)

ELIGIBILITY

• Candidate must have secured an admission for the 2014/2015 academic year in any higher education institution of learning in Cameroon by 31^st January, 2015.
• Must be a national of Cameroon
• Must hold an undergraduate degree (an equivalent of 3-4 years undergraduate studies) in any field with grade of at least Second Class-upper (Hons.)
• Must have at least two years’ work experience by 30^th September, 2014
• There is no age limit for Cameroon Women’s Scholarship

DEADLINE: 30^th November, 2014
To apply and for more information visit here

APPLY: Chevening/Nottingham Partnership Scholarships in UK, 2016/2017

Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global Master’s Scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organizations, funding outstanding scholars from around the world with leadership potential across a wide range of fields to study a one-year masters degree at universities across the UK.

ELIGIBILITY

• High caliber graduates with the personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities necessary for leadership and at least two years’ relevant work experience
• The scholarships are available for scholars from Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda who wish to study a one-year Master’s degree within the following Faculties, Schools and Departments:

– Faculty of Engineering
-Faculty of Medicine and Health Services
– Faculty of Science
– School of Geography- courses related to sciences only
– Institute of Science and Society- courses related to science only
– Nottingham University Business School- course allied to Operations Management only

DEADLINE: To be announced

To apply and for more information visit here

Opportunity From Commowealth Youth Council

Opportunity!
Free to travel with a free flight ticket to an important international Conference in Tirana, Albania, from December 7th to 11th, 2014?
The Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Youth Council are recommending young leaders…
If you want your country to be represented or know anyone in the following countries, please inbox your contacts today or email to: m.leone@commonwealth.int
URGENT: Deadline is Tuesday, 18th November 2014.
1. Lesotho
2. Malawi
3. Rwanda
4. Seychelles
5. Swaziland
6. Tanzania
7. Maldives
8. Sri Lanka
9. Antigua and Barbados
10. Bahamas
11. Belize
12. Dominica
13. Grenada
14. Guyana
15. Saint Lucia
16. St Kits
17. St Vincent
18. Cyprus
19. Malta
20. United Kingdom
21. Australia
22. Kiribati
23. Nauru
24. Papua Guinea
25. Samoa
26. Solomon Islands
27. Tonga
28. Tuvalu
29. Vanuatu
Other Commonwealth countries can still apply….
Commonwealth Youth Council, All rights reserved.
As part of the commitment of the CYC executives to update members and stakeholders on the work of the CYC, the CYC newsletter was introduced to replace the usual message from the CYC Chairperson. This is the first edition of the CYC newsletter.
Our mailing address is:
Commonwealth Youth Council
Pall Mall, London
London, London SW1Y 5HX
United Kingdom

Opportunity to Live your Dreams in the Aviation

Here is an exciting opportunity for students passionate about aviation. Laura Banica is working on a project called Fly Your Ideas organized by Airbus, and they are particularly interested in Africa as a source for new and innovative ideas.

Airbus challenges students worldwide to innovate for the future of aviation. Airbus is constantly looking for new, better ways to fly and that’s what our UNESCO-backed global competition is all about.

WORTH

• Top Prize: EURO 30,000
• Runners up: EURO 15,000

DEADLINE: 1^st December, 2014.

To register and for more information visit here

Call for Applications: Youth Square Nigeria Dialogues

“Youth Square” is a United States Consulate funded project designed to positively engage and educate young women in Nigeria on the 2015 elections and build their capacities to hold their elected leaders accountable and participate in local governance.

The Youth Square Project will be convening its first Dialogue session in Lagos, Nigeria for young women on their expectations for the coming elections and resulting government. The dialogue session will focus on generating concrete ideas to increase the participation of young women in the upcoming 2015 elections and in local governance.

We invite you to be a part of this session and share this opportunity within your networks. The dialogue sessions are open to all Nigerians irrespective of socio-economic standing, tribe, religion or political affiliation.

To register your interest in participating in the dialogue session, please visit: http://bit.ly/youthsquareng

Deadline: 15TH NOVEMBER 2014. For inquiries, please send an email to youthsquarenigeria@hacey.org

Apply! Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) Steering Committee

 Y+ is transitioning from an Advisory Group of the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) to a global network of young people living with HIV. As part of the new governance structure, a Steering Committee (SC) will be created to govern the network.

The current Y+ Advisory Group is supporting this transition process, including an open and transparent process to select the SC. The former Y+ Advisory Group will eventually transition into an informal mentorship body and will not have any decision-making power.

Y+ seeks young people living with HIV who are passionate about making a difference in their community, country, region and globally to apply to be part of the inaugural Y+ SC.
Steering Committee role and responsibilities

The role of the Y+ Steering Committee (SC) is to guide the development of the Y+ network, determine programmatic priorities, make decisions through a transparent process and ensure different communities of YPLHIV from all regions are represented in Y+ decision-making. The SC

is composed of young people (under the age of 30) living with HIV. The Steering Committee’s mandate includes, but is not limited to:

 Make decisions on behalf of the Y+ network;

• Provide strategic guidance and oversight to the Y+ network;
• Elect an Advisory Board Member to GNP+ on behalf of YPLHIV;
• Ensure meaningful engagement of YPLHIV in strategic areas of the HIV response, such as knowledge management, advocacy, leadership and the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescents and young people living with HIV.

Membership terms will be for one year with a possibility of a second year based on a peer-led performance review. Y+ seeks individual and organization representatives from the following regions – two people will be selected per region:

Ø  African Region
Ø  Latin America Region
Ø  Asia Pacific Region
Ø  Caribbean Region
Ø  European Region
Ø  North America Region
Organization representatives should be from national or regional networks of young people living with HIV. For additional information, please see the enclosed Y+ Steering Committee Terms of Reference.
Qualifications of applicants:

1. Documented leadership abilities and commitment to advance the health and rights of YPLHIV;
2. Experience working with adolescents and/or young people at the country or regional level on health issues;
3. Solid communication skills, including ease using e-communication platforms, Skype, etc.
4. Expertise in the four Y+ advocacy priority areas (see the 4 priority areas in the TOR);
5. English proficiency required, additional language fluencies a plus.
6. Skills in medicine, research, advocacy and policy, service delivery, and/or communications desired.

How to apply:
Please send a letter of interest, CV and two references to yplusrecruitment@gmail.com. The letter of interest should provide details about your background and experience in the HIV response, motivation for participating on the SC and what added value your participation can bring to the Y+ network. Please also include whether you are applying as an individual or as a representative of an organization (such as a regional network of YPLHIV). A working group of Y+ members will review applications and contact short-listed candidates for interviews.
Young women living with HIV, young key populations (men who have sex with men, people who use drug and those engaged in selling sex) living with HIV as well as adolescents livingwith HIV (11 – 19 years old) are strongly encouraged to apply.
Deadline:13 November 2014!

Apply! The Saville Foundation Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education

Deadline: December 12th 2014 All Africa based organizations working in education (primary, secondary, tertiary education; non-formal and adult education) and combating poverty in an innovative, sustainable and effective way are invited to participate in Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education. Teach a Man to Fish is seeking for organizations or projects making great changes in their community. Entries can be made by a non-African NGO on behalf of their local partner/office (in Africa) in a condition that the prize money and conference travel bursaries are claimed by and used for the benefit of Africa-based organization.
Teach a Man to Fish partners with the Saville Foundation to award this prize.
Prizes

1. US$10,000 – Best entry award
2. US$5,000 each – Two runner ups
3. US$1,000 each – 55 best entries from each African country
4. Top three award winners will be offered a sponsored trip to the international conference and peer-learning workshop of Teach a man to fish.
5. Media publicity and enhanced sponsorship and donation opportunities are other benefits.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants can be organizations in any African country focusing on education.
• Applying professionals can be teachers, doctors, lawyers, judges, accountants, bankers, engineers, and police officers.
• Organizations outside Africa can submit entries on behalf of their African partner. The African organization will be beneficiary in this condition.
• Entries must be accompanied by work contact details of a suitable referee. Referees must be independent of entrant organization and either a government official, qualified professional, or senior employee of an internationally recognized institution. Referees cannot be family members of the entrant.
• List of eligible countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic of the), Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

interested? Click here to here
For more information, please visit The Saville Foundation Pan-African Awards.
Source: FundsforNgos

Apply! Global Health Corps Fellowship 2015-2016

 Deadline: February 5th 2015

Global Health Corps provides a yearlong paid fellowship for young professionals from diverse backgrounds to work on the frontlines of the fight for global health equity at existing health organizations and government agencies. Fellows are currently working in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and the United States.
GHC recruits placement organizations that are doing excellent work in improving healthcare access and health outcomes in impoverished communities. Placement organizations range from small grassroots organizations to large global institutions. Global Health Corps recruits and selects highly qualified applicants with diverse skill sets for specific fellowship positions at these organizations. Fellows have built financial management systems for grassroots HIV organizations in Uganda, counseled homeless teenagers in New Jersey, supported district pharmacies in Rwanda in rolling our new supply chain management tools and conducted policy research in Washington DC.

Application Requirements:

• Be 30 or under at the start of the fellowship
• Have an undergraduate university degree by July 2015
• Be proficient in English

Application Timeline for the 2015-2016 Fellowship:

• November 5, 2014: Part 1 of the application opens
• December 9, 2014: Position descriptions posted online. Part 2 of the application opens
• February 3, 2015: Applications close at 11:59pm EST. Two recommendation forms and Proof of Identity and Proof of Education documents due
• February – March 2015: Each application is reviewed by at least two readers
• March 2015: up to 10 semi-finalists are selected for each fellowship position. All candidates are notified of their application status by email
• March 2015: All semi-finalists are interviewed by Global Health Corps and 3-5 finalists per position are selected
• March – April 2015: All finalists are interviewed by the placement organizations
• April – May 2015: Fellowship offers extended

Fellows come from a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds, as each individual fellowship position requires different specific skills.
For more information,visit their fellowship FAQs page or click Global Health Corps
Click here to apply

2015: Day UNDP, youth group train youths on voter registration

With less than six months to the 2015 general elections, political activities in the country have begun to gather momentum. Political parties and groups have begun strategiz­ing on how to woo voters and win elections. On this basis, the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), in collabora­tion with the Youth initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advance­ment (YIAGA) and Youth Alliance on Constitution and Electoral Reforms (YACORE) organized a workshop to educate youths on the procedure required to register for a voter’s card and the need to vote for quality leadership. The workshop which took place in Port Harcourt was entitled; “Voter Education training on the 2015 elections, Continuous Voters Reg­istration/permanent Voter Card Distribution.”
For many politicians, the favour of the electorate towards any candidate is an assurance of victory. Against this background, many aspirants fall over one another to curry the favour of voters especially before elections by doling out different types of gifts to ensure that they win. The need therefore, for voters to register and obtain voters cards and the need to be educated on the impor­tance of voting during the elections has become imperative. The project manager of YIAGA, Cynthia Mbamalu who spoke on the topic, “Principles of Community mobilization for Elections”, said that if people are more educated, there would be less electoral violence. According to her, several reports on elections and electoral reforms indentify voter apathy as one of the challenges to citizen’s right to democratic participa­tion and credible elections. “Election results also reveal that while a large number of people register to vote, only a small percentage of actually vote. In Ekiti for instance, 732,116 people reg­istered to vote. 371,419 were females and 366,747 were males. Only 413,708 collected their permanent voters card and at the end, only 350,256 voted.
“Community mobilisation, which is an act targeted at bringing together resources whether human or non human to undertake developmental activity in order to achieve sustainable develop­ment should be facilitated. We should mobilise for elections because without the people, there can’t be any election. When you come into office through a credible process, you automatically be­come accountable for your actions. We need to better Nigeria and that is why we want people to participate. How we can ensure that democracy is sustained is by getting more people involved. Good governance will not come if people are not held accountable.”
Anne Ikpeme, a project director with the UNDP spoke on the topic; “Introduction to INEC Guidelines for Observation.” She said the UNDP has other bodies that contribute to fund its programmes and it has different com­ponents that work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Assembly, political parties, the media and Civil Society Organisa­tions (CSO). She said UNDP is also interested in the development of women and youths and it carries out its activi­ties with the government, women in politics and female-based CSO’s to en­sure that women participate in elections.
“We want women to be actively involved in politics and occupy leader­ship positions and that is why we are supporting the affirmative action for women. We want people to register to vote to avoid fraud because the purpose of voter registration is to ensure that people who are not qualified are not al­lowed to vote. If you do not vote, do not complain later about the type of leaders we have and why they make the deci­sions that they do. The situation would not get better overnight, but one day, we would get there. We should not say that politics is a dirty game. Let us do our best to get involved.”
Another facilitator, Jide Ojo, a news­paper columnist who spoke on the topic, “An overview of Nigeria’s electoral and governance system” said that the worst illiterate is the political illiterate. She/he sees nothing, does nothing and takes no part in political life. He doesn’t know that the cost of living, the price of beans, flour, rent, medicines, all depend on political decisions. He even prides himself on his political ignorance, sticks out his chest and says he hates politics. He doesn’t know that his lack of political non-participation comes the prostitute, the abandoned child, the rob­ber and worst of all, corrupt officials. Ojo therefore advised that youths must discover their mission as young people, saying they can either fulfill or destroy it.
“Why vote: The imperative of citizens’ participation” was the topic handled by the chairman, Partners for electoral reforms, Ezenwa Nwagu. He said Nigerians must engage political office seekers on issues and votes must interrogate these critical fundamental issues. He maintained that religion should not be considered when voting and votes should have no connection to nepotic considerations. He said, “If it does not translate to a better life for people, then it is not worth it. If young people would come out and register and use their vote effectively without sell­ing, then our country would be better. We should ensure that the government that we want is what is in place and the government that we don’t want is driven out, that is the importance of citizens’ participation. We need to know how to apply our votes for a change. The politi­cians want us to believe that it is what they give the voters that influence their votes. They prefer giving people what they want rather than focusing on the development of the economy.”
Paul Anyeze, the assistant director in the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC), voters registry, spoke on the topic, “Guidelines for the continuous registration and PVC distribution.” He explained that to have a voter’s card, that the data capturing machine has to capture two fingers on both hands and used the oppoutunity to advise that those that do not have voters card can register to vote because voters registration is ongoing. “If your temporary voter’s card (TVC) is miss­ing, you can fill in an attestation form to be given another one, but you must be physically present. After that, you can collect your permanent voters card (PVC). There is no collection by proxy. Those that cannot come to the polling units can go to their local governments. In the case of movement, an applicant may apply to the resident electoral com­missioner in the state where the resident resides. It should be done through the registration officer and the voter should ask to be transferred to their new constituency provided that it is done not later than 30 days.”
On the issue of election monitoring and observation, Abiodun Ajibola, an election monitor spoke on, “Being an effective observer.” He said that elec­tion monitors and observers play very important roles in any election. Howev­er, he said that observers should respect the sovereignty of the Nigerian people to establish their own government as well as their fundamental human rights. He said that observers should respect the country’s laws and should report to the leadership of their organisation on any conflict. “Election observers should not prejudge the election outcome and they should restrain from making any personal comments to the media on what they observed during the elections before the election observation mis­sion makes their won statement. “They should not accept any gift or favors that might influence their work. They should not attempt to take part in the actual administration of the election. They are responsible for their safety and security. They should use words moderately. Observers must exhibit sensitivity for host country’s culture and customs and they should study the terrain before the election day.”
Source: The Sun

Nigerian youth group demands constitution review expenditure records

Following the resumption of Nigerian lawmakers from their six-week recess, Nigeria’s youth coalition on Constitution Review and electoral reform, the Youth Alliance on Constitution & Electoral Reform (YACORE), a coalition of over 60 youth civil society organizations committed to constitutional and electoral reform, electoral justice and public accountability has forwarded a request made in line with the provision of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, to the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.
The youth coalition requested the National Assembly to publish the following information within its custody:

• The actual budgetary appropriation for the ongoing Constitution review.
• The actual budgetary allocation to the Senate and House Committee on Constitution Review.
• A financial report of expenditures made so far from the budget on Constitution Review and funds received from donor organizations.
• The voting records of constitutional amendments by Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the National Assembly and signed by the National Coordinator of the coalition, Samson Itodo, YACORE stated that the request was informed by the ardent need to hold elected representatives accountable to the people.
In a democracy, citizens have the right to demand fiscal responsibility and transparency from their representatives. The fact that the Constitution review process is largely funded with tax payer’s money makes it mandatory for the National Assembly to give an account of its expenditure to the citizenry.
The group cautioned against any attempt by the National Assembly to decline the request made in line with the provisions of the law. Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its National Coordinator, Samson Itodo said the National Assembly is a creation of law empowered to legislate and make laws for the governance of the country.
Consequently, it must act within and under the law at all times. Sections 4 of the FOI Act 2011 clearly provides that ‘where information is applied for under the Act, the public institution to which the application is made shall within 7 days after the application is received make the information available to the applicant’.
Any non-disclosure of the requested information is a violation of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. As a coalition, we shall be compelled to take lawful and necessary steps to compel the National Assembly to disclose the information if they fail to accede to our demands within seven days as stipulated by the law.
The Deputy National Coordinator of YACORE, Bukhari Mohammed Jega stated that there are speculations suggesting that over N5 billion have been expended on the ongoing constitution review. However, advocacy cannot be based on mere speculations but on verified and confirmed figures, that is why we have approached the National Assembly to honourably publish its budget and expenditures on the Constitution review process.
Speaking from Edo State, South-South Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Purpose Osamwonyi emphasized the need for the National Assembly to build public trust and confidence by acceding to requests made to her to publish her financial earnings, budget and expenditures. He encouraged Nigerians to be concerned about the outcome of the ongoing review process. If the outcome does not reflect our yearnings and aspirations as a people, it means we have wasted and plundered our resources to serve the economic interests of 469 legislators at the expense of the Nigerian people.
The group called on all Nigerians to join the #OurNASS protest to the National Assembly holding next Thursday 26th September 2013 by 10am. The protest organized by different coalitions across Nigeria aims at placing fiscal accountability demands before National Assembly.

2015 Winter Youth Assembly

U re cordially invited to attend the 2015 Winter Youth Assembly at the UN Hdqrts in NewYork City in Feb 2015 with a Non-Refundable Registration of $300 once payment is confirmed U will get your letter of invitation from USA & details info of full package cost & prog Itinary. Closing for Registration is 30 Nov. From: Pan African Young Women Dev Initiative; panafricanyoungwomen@yahoo.com

During #YALI Rollout in Enugu

Mr. Ezenwa Okoro, Nigeria representative at Mandela Washington Fellowship 2014 addressing young people during YALI rollout on 9th October 2014 in Enugu state.

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN (BPW NIGERIA) NATIONAL CONFERENCE/ AWARD CEREMONY

Business and Professional Women (BPW Nigeria) on 7th November, 2014 at The Oaklands Amusement Centre, Ebe-Ano Tunnel By-Pass, Enugu, held her National Conference and Award Ceremony with the theme: "Making a Difference through Leadership and Action"

Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards 2014 announced

Three outstanding youth workers were today honoured at the Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards 2014 for their dedication to improving young lives and their positive contributions to society.

The awards were presented to winners from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean at a ceremony hosted at the UK Houses of Parliament, in London. The awards are held annually during Youth Work Week, which is celebrated across the 53 nations of the Commonwealth.

The recipient of the overall Commonwealth Youth Worker of the Year 2014 award is Dr Bernice Hlagala, a senior policy analyst responsible for youth development in the Presidency of South Africa. She is also Regional Winner for Africa.

“Winning the Commonwealth Youth Worker Award means a lot. I hope it will inspire other people to become youth workers,” said Dr Hlagala, a former social worker who has overseen the development of national youth policy and been an advocate for the professionalisation of youth work across Southern Africa.

“It is through youth workers that young people can become properly empowered and developed, so they can become assets to their communities and society at large,” Dr Hlagala said.

Presenting the awards, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said: “The Commonwealth has long championed the important work of youth workers and their contribution to the prospects and development of young people and their nations, as well as to advancing youth work as a professional and respected field.

"The Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards give recognition to outstanding individuals within this profession and we are delighted, for the third year running, to have very worthy winners.”

The awards ceremony, held in association with the National Youth Agency (UK), was hosted by Karen Buck, MP for Westminster North in the United Kingdom and UK Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson. During the awards ceremony, the winners of the UK Youth Worker Awards, hosted by the National Youth Agency, were also announced.

Katherine Ellis, Director of Youth at the Commonwealth Secretariat, said: “Youth workers are champions of young people – working with them and for them, often unheralded and with very few resources. These awards are about celebrating their vital contribution to the strength and progress of our societies.”

The Caribbean Regional Winner is Derrick Sharbodie, the founder and manager of the St. James Police Club and Empowerment Centre in Trinidad and Tobago, which offers education, sports and community support to young people. Mr Sharbodie, who also leads a drug prevention programme geared towards encouraging young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, said he was “honoured and humbled” to have received his award.

“I was just flabbergasted,” he said. “It was a wonderful feeling and it gives you the impetus to carry on. Sometimes you feel you are not getting the support you need, and then – boom – the Commonwealth comes along to say you are doing excellent work. It really encourages you.”

Mr Sharbodie added: “There is a lamp that needs to be turned on within every young person. We, as youth workers, need to tap that lamp, so they can see the light and so they can move on from strength to strength.”

The Regional Winner for Asia is Aprajita Pandey, manager for Haiyya, a grassroots NGO based in Delhi, India, formed to encourage young people in urban neighbourhoods to participate in democratic processes. During her time at Haaiya, Ms Pandey led a ‘Rise Up’ campaign seeking to increase female participation in the Delhi State Assembly elections.

Ms Pandey said: “When you get such recognition, it gives real legitimacy to the work you are doing. Taking up a profession like this is not an easy choice. It is a huge burden on your shoulders, but you take responsibility because you keep believing that change will happen.”

Find out more about the work of the finalists and winners of the Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards 2014 on the Commonwealth website: http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/finalists-commonwealth-youth-worker-awards-announced

 Winners of the #Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards have been announced: http://t.co/sdPckcj4fE #YWW14 @CmmnwlthYouth pic.twitter.com/pbA5kndLVQ

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec) November 5, 2014

- See more at: http://thecommonwealth.org/media/press-release/commonwealth-youth-worker-awards-2014-announced#sthash.ZxozpJPh.dpuf

APPLY: RESURJ- Africa Feminist Dialogue

Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ) hosts an Africa Feminist Dialogue between January 12-15, 2015 with the aim of bringing younger feminist activists together to mobilize constituencies for Sexual and Reproductive Justice at national and regional levels. The meeting which takes place in Accra, Ghana.

RESURJ is a global alliance of feminists under 40 years of age, working for Sexual and Reproductive Justice through national, regional and international advocacy and movement building strategies in countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.

ELIGIBILITY

• Age 18-35
• Self identify as a feminist
• Ability to speak, read and write in English
• Affiliated with an institution working in any country within the African continent
• Currently lives and works in any of the 53 countries in the African continent
• Passionate about and committed to girls’ and women’s human rights
• Significant experience advocating for the Sexual and Reproductive Rights of adolescents girls and young women
• Strong links and connections to decisions makers at national and regional level
• Committed to participating in the 3.5 day meeting and doing all pre and post meeting tasks and activities (please note: participants will be expected to prepare a short presentation on a topic related to their national contexts prior to the meeting)
• Able to arrive on the 11th and depart on the 15th of January
• Able to secure the necessary travel documents, including visa, to travel to Ghana

DEADLINE: 26th November, 2014.

Panel Discussion on measures for effective youth participation in politics.