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one point in time prioritized economic development and gone aheadto design effective instruments to promote this goal.Such a state is also able to construct and deploy the institutional architecturewithin the state and mobilize society.Building a developmental state although not alien to Africa, may nothave produced the desired results, since for many post-independenceAfrican leaders, development was a major preoccupation andthey espoused various developmental ideologies, strategies andpolicies.From Ghana came Kwame Nkrumah’s philosophy of Pan-Africanism,which focused on the need for political and economic liberationthrough the strategy of regional integration, designed to promoteeconomic development on the African continent.In reflecting, addressing, being sensitive to, and being responsive toyouth issues, we need to involve young people at all stages of thepolicy cycle whether in national parliaments, or at the local administrativelevels.In addition, we need to adequately mainstream youth issues in allgovernment policies and national development plans. As such, “propoor”strategies must be “pro-youth”, and that any developmentintervention seeking sustainable impact must address the youth cohort.Inclusive policies and programmes should take into considerationyoung women, young people living with disabilities, youth from verypoor backgrounds, orphans and young people living with HIV/AIDSand those in conflict environments .UNECA, as the regional arm of the UN secretariat, has for many yearsembarked on youth related advocacy and assisted countries in ourregion to design and implement youth policies and programmes.Working very closely with our partners, like the African Union Commission,civil society and International organizations, we offer a platformfor advocacy, dialogue and assist member states to fulfill theirinternationally and regionally agreed commitments like the Interna-306 Part Five