Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Sunday for African youths "to change reality,” during a speech at the Model African Union in Cairo. The president said that African countries face the same challenges, which include “unemployment, poor education, child marriage, terrorism, extremism, and illegal migration.” The Model African Union, a simulation of the African Union, is sponsored by Egypt's World Youth Forum (WYF), the last session of which was held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2017. El-Sisi delivered his remarks in front of 60 participating African and Egyptian young men and women following a simulation session on the challenges facing the continent. The Egyptian president said that he is proud of the youths' capabilities, adding that Egypt will work on problems facing the youth when it chairs the AU in 2019. El-Sisi told the attendees to prepare “a new approach to address the problems of the continent, but it has to be different. We want to show the AU a fresh model showing how the youths of Egypt and the continent are able to change reality.” Last January, Egypt was elected by African leaders in Ethiopia's Addis Ababa to head the African Union's upcoming session in 2019. The president also hailed the efforts of Egypt's Presidential Leadership Programme, which was launched in 2015 to build the skills of youths and develop their leadership abilities. El-Sisi extended his invitation to African youths to participate in the programme's sessions and modules. "The hope for change is the hope for continuation. You are the hope who can change reality through effort, determination, and patience," El-Sisi concluded.
