By Aya Chebbi - 01 July 2015

The Forum for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) had been just an idea a few years ago. However, last week, during its 2015 Annual Meeting in Abidjan, the African Development Bank hosted a full day of panel discussions dedicated to CSOs. The CSO Forum is aiming at promoting closer cooperation and engagement among CSOs, the Bank, and regional member countries in order to optimize development results and sustain development impact.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 May 2015

Over the past years, our African unity has been tested constantly to realize that unity is not a one-day celebration or a mere occasional response to threatening events happening across the continent. Unity, instead, shall be a continuous collective struggle and solidarity.

For the past year, Africa has not healed from pain, bloodshed and diseases. From Ebola outbreak in West Africa to the recent crimes in South Africa, and the disaster of endless deaths of Africans sinking in the middle of the Mediterranean; from Al Shabab attacks in Kenya, to the Islamic State killings in Libya, and to Boko Haram massacres in West Africa - a similar pattern of extreme brutality spreading across.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 April 2015

In 2013, I was shooting a documentary called “Kenya’s Conscious Transformation” under the Africa Inspire Project, when Kenya witnessed the Westgate attack. At least 67 people have died.

Following the peaceful 2013 general elections, I decided to explore and highlight the role of youth and women in the peace process that transformed its previous 2007/2008 volatile post-election violence. On my last day in Nairobi, a few hours before heading to the Westgate shopping mall, I heard about the Al Shabab attack. It was a tragic and sad day, waiting for the fate of the hostages and praying for the victims.

By Aya Chebbi - 02 March 2015

Nkiruka Nnaemego has over fifteen years of experience working directly with children and youth focusing on green entrepreneurship, policy advocacy, research and training on volunteerism, peer mentoring and community development. Nkiru is a lawyer, an agricultural and livelihood, environmental activist, customer service and development practitioner who has passion for Volunteerism and Mentoring. In 2008, she founded and currently runs a youth organization – Fresh & Young Brains Development Initiative. She also founded Alexijan Consults in 2013 as a Consulting Firm aimed to promote social, green and business entrepreneurship among youth and professionals. Through her leadership and commitment, Nigeria currently has the National Youth Manifesto on Agriculture, Youth Advocacy Toolkit on increased investments in Small Scale Agriculture, Handbook for children on Clean Energy, Sustainable Agriculture and Peak Oil, Green Entrepreneurship Workbook for youth and community volunteers, among others.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 January 2015

Rose Wachuka a Kenyan lawyer and an International Affairs scholar spoke to Aya Chebbi FFD’s blogger about her views on climate change.

Rose is a Steering Committee member of the Global Young Greens (GYG). She is also the Strategic Advisor on Programs and Partner Relations at Kenya Young Greens. Rose prides herself in the fact that the Green principles are focused on ensuring that women and minority rights are protected. Rose is the co-founder of the Voice of Women Initiative and a blogger, building a platform that would inform the world about African values, democracy, green principles and the value of peace. Her blog is called Green Background.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 December 2014

How can we not think about the future for Africa if the future is Africa itself?

Looking at the past and the future, Africa becomes a crucial part of this reflection. Africa developed the world's oldest human civilization and moving forward, it defines the world’s future. With a comprehensive timeline of at least seven million years, Africa is home to the first tools, jewelry, mathematics, astronomy, fishing, and art, among other essential humankind developments. It gave humanity the use of fire around two million years ago and made all nations rely on our land for their markets.

By Aya Chebbi - 01 November 2014

I grew up with multiple identities that I questioned throughout my teen years. The strongest identity I was brainwashed with, is being “Arab”. Since primary school, my education, which curriculum I didn’t choose, has been mainly about the Arab civilization and the invention of the zero! My library has been full of books of Gibran Khalil Gibran and Mahmoud Darwish.

by Aya Chebbi - 01 October 2014

Since the early 20th century, Tunisian women played a key role in securing the independence of their country. August 13, 1956, marked the promulgation of the Code of Personal Status (CPS) that included progressive laws aiming at the institution of gender equality.

by Aya Chebbi - 30 August 2014

In order to address the future of youth policies in North Africa, it has become necessary to look at the system before and after the ongoing revolutions and political change in the region. Among many indicators to assess youth policies, I would like to explore two crucial ones: youth legislation and youth participation. I will take Tunisia as an example and explore its youth policy based on those indicators.

by Aya Chebbi - 30 July 2014

The dramatic political changes and instability in North Africa following the civil war in Libya and the partition of Sudan, in addition to the conflicts in Syria and Mali, have created new waves of movements in the region. The crisis has two main faces; the sub region serves as either a transit or final destination for sizeable mixed migration movements from neighboring countries, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.