Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traoré recently dedicated half of his busy work day to hosting more than 200 children on 21 November to commemorate World Children’s Day, which falls on 20 November.
Originating from the Sahel state’s 13 regions, the youngsters began the day on a patriotic note, raising the national flag alongside Traoré. Watch as a child representative briefs the head of state on their legislative meeting, where child labour in the nation’s mines and maternal and children’s healthcare were among the topics discussed.
Some have described Traoré, 36, as a reincarnation of President Thomas Sankara (1949-87), Burkina Faso’s assassinated pan-Africanist leader. Along with Mali’s Assimi Goïta and Niger’s Abdourahamane Tiani, the three have booted the French military, curbed French influence in media, begun nationalising natural resources, and established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) confederation that shares defence, economic and foreign policies.
Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with a median age of 19. With leaders like Traoré (@capitaineib226 on X) inspiring the youth, Africa’s future is in good hands.
Video credit: BF1 Television (@bf1tv on X)
Sources:
https://lefaso.net/spip.php?article134353
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/africas-median-age-about-19-median-age-its-leaders-about-63
https://trtafrika.com/insight/ibrahim-traore-why-burkina-fasos-leader-attracts-attention-14479334