Ashish Thakkar is the Founder and Chairman of Mara Group, an investment firm with a presence across 25 African countries. He founded the Mara Foundation in 2009 to foster and support emerging entrepreneurs through mentorship and venture philanthropy.

Thakkar is also the Chair of the African Development Bank (AfDB)’s Presidential Youth Advisory Group (PYAG), a think tank inaugurated by AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina on November 27, 2017 to provide innovative solutions for Bank’s plan of creating 25 million jobs for African youth under its Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy (JfYA).

In this interview he speaks about how Africa can support its youth for greater productivity and empowerment.

What is your message for youth in Africa?

My message to the youth of our amazing continent, the African youth is: we are really, really lucky to be young people on our amazing continent today, where technology is growing at such a rapid pace and where connectivity and the whole digital transformation across all sector is happening now. This is our time as the youth of Africa: not to wait for somebody to give us a seat at the table, but actually to take a seat the table."

Read the full article about Africa development from African Development Bank Group