African youth have been urged to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to tap into broader continental market and economic opportunities.

Experts and policymakers made the call on Saturday during a continental youth-themed meeting organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) under the theme of "Making the African Continental Free Trade Area work for African young people: opportunities, challenges and the way forward," at the UN Conference Center in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Addressing the meeting, Executive Secretary of the UNECA Claver Gatete emphasized that the effective implementation of the continental free trade pact requires concerted efforts toward empowering Africa's youth as the continent's future, with 60 percent of Africa's population under the age of 25.

"We are in a situation where we are facing very serious challenges, and these challenges will continue and will be carried forward by you as young people. That is why empowering the young people becomes very important," Gatete told African youth.

The UNECA chief emphasized that in the face of a rapidly changing world, the African continent needs to urgently address socio-economic development challenges. He stressed the need to meaningfully engage the youth in key decision-making and development initiatives as a sustainable approach to addressing the challenges.

"We are facing big challenges, where poverty levels are still very high as 476 million Africans are poor, 600 million Africans do not have electricity, and only 37 percent of Africans have access to the internet. This is not a good situation," Gatete said.

Highlighting the AfCFTA's critical role in unlocking economic opportunities while also augmenting job creation, he urged African youth to harness the opportunities presented through the growing intra-African trade anchored by the AfCFTA.

Experts, policymakers, and youth representatives at the meeting underscored that growth must create decent work, social inclusion, and poverty reduction, in which the AfCFTA injects the much-needed impetus.

Ethiopian State Minister for Youth Affairs Muna Ahmed underscored that as Africa strives for the AfCFTA's success, the continent needs to place the major aspirations and challenges of its burgeoning youth central to the free trade pact's implementation process.

"The AfCFTA presents a historic opportunity to unlock the immense potential of Africa's young people by expanding access to markets, fostering innovation, and creating sustainable employment opportunities," the state minister said.

According to the AfCFTA Secretariat, trading under the AfCFTA has gained momentum, as 48 African countries have deposited their instruments of ratification to the African Union (AU).

The AfCFTA envisaged transforming Africa into the world's largest free trade area. When fully implemented, it is expected to create a single market for goods and services for about 1.4 billion people across Africa, with a combined gross domestic product of 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars, according to the AU.

The meeting, which was held on the margins of the 57th session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, explored opportunities for African youth to leverage in the implementation of the AfCFTA. The meeting also deliberated on the development challenges affecting young Africans.