Matadi, October 18th, 2026 (CPA).- Employment, entrepreneurship, access to financing and infrastructure development have been identified as key concerns to be championed in preparation for the inclusive national dialogue, during a conference held on Saturday in Matadi, Kongo Central Province, in the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), CPA observed.
“Our participation in the inclusive national dialogue must enable us to defend young people’s concerns, particularly regarding employment, entrepreneurship, access to financing, infrastructure and economic development,” said Costa Thatukila, founder of an organization bearing his name, which co-organized the conference with the Youth Camp Coalition.
“We also want to make our concerns heard and submit them to the institutions so that young people are genuinely taken into consideration. Young people must not merely demand their place; they must also prepare themselves to occupy it with dignity and contribute effectively to the development of the nation,” he added. According to Mr. Thatukila, young people should not be content with attending discussions but should also contribute to formulating proposals and decisions that will shape the country’s future.
Call for Unity in Defending Common Causes
For his part, the national president of the Youth Camp Coalition, Me Enock Manoka, called on young people to unite and support one another in defending common causes, provided their objectives serve the collective interest. “We must participate in the inclusive national dialogue with concrete proposals capable of helping improve the country’s situation, because politics is not just about criticizing; it is also about proposing solutions to the problems we face,” he stressed.
The conference, held under the theme “What Place for the Youth of Kongo Central in the Inclusive National Dialogue: From Symbolic Representation to Decision-Making Participation?”, aimed to raise young people’s awareness of their responsibility in building the province and the country. This included encouraging them to identify the difficulties faced by the population and formulate concrete development proposals. The Costa Thatukila Foundation (FCT) is a non-partisan and civic-minded organization whose mission is to contribute to the development, guidance and well-being of Congolese youth, it is noted. ACP/