Algerian Radio
The first national forum of the young leaders qualification program, whose proceedings concluded on Sunday in Oran after running from April 2 to 5, constituted a milestone in the process of supporting and empowering youth.
Nearly 1,000 young project initiators from various fields participated, benefiting from specialized mentoring and practical support aimed at bringing their ideas to life on the ground.
The forum was distinguished by the participation of several officials during the opening ceremony, chaired by the Minister of Youth, in charge of the Higher Youth Council, Mr. Mustapha Hidaoui, in the presence of the Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Micro-enterprises, Mr. Noureddine Ouadah; the Minister of National Education, Mr. Mohamed Seghir Saâdaoui; the Minister of Vocational Training and Education, Ms. Nassima Arhab; as well as the Advisor to the President of the Republic in charge of Political Affairs and Relations with Youth, Civil Society, and Political Parties, Mr. Mustapha Saïdj.
The high-level sessions, articulated around three main axes—"Youth and Shaping the Future: Empowerment Opportunities in National Policies," "Values and Leadership Awareness: Building the Personality of Young Leaders in a Changing World," and "From Knowledge to Innovation: Youth Efficiency and Engagement in the Era of Transparency and Digital Transformation"—brought together several ministers, heads of national bodies, as well as experts and academics. These included the Minister of Relations with Parliament, Ms. Nadjiba Djilali; the High Commissioner for Digitization with the rank of Minister, Ms. Meriem Benmouloud; the President of the High Authority for Transparency, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption, Ms. Salima Mousserati; the Vice-President of the Presidential Third Parliamentary Group at the Council of the Nation, Mr. Bourokba Aïssa; and Algerian scientist Belkacem Haba.
This forum marked the final phase of the first track of the "DZ Young Leaders" project, which comprises three integrated tracks, each mentoring 1,000 young leaders over a period of four months, culminating in a national forum dedicated to presenting results and exchanging experiences.
According to the organizers, this program is among the major national initiatives aimed at structuring and qualifying Algerian youth across all wilayas, by mobilizing talents, supporting them, and guiding them toward projects with a sustainable socio-economic impact.
Over 75,000 young people registered for this program, more than 5,000 of whom developed roadmaps for concrete projects in various fields. Among these initiatives, 1,000 projects were selected to receive in-depth support over a full year.
Participants expressed their optimism regarding the success of this initiative, highlighting that the forum provides a real opportunity to develop their projects through practical workshops and training sessions led by experts, thereby strengthening their leadership skills and their commitment to development.
Numerous workshops were organized, divided between personal planning workshops and project mentoring workshops, with follow-up provided by national and international trainers.
The young participants also praised the importance given to youth in the development strategy of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, believing that this approach reflects a genuine political will to empower them and involve them in building the new Algeria.
They noted that recent public policies have strengthened the presence of young people in political and institutional spaces by broadening the prospects for participation in the management of public affairs.
Furthermore, the forum was marked by the launch of the "Ambassadors of Integrity" initiative, as part of a partnership between the Higher Youth Council and the High Authority for Transparency, aimed at training a first cohort of 100 young people to promote the principles of transparency and good governance.
The fourth and final day of the forum was dedicated to civic initiatives led by the youth, notably in the environmental, health, and cultural fields: a blood donation campaign at the Mediterranean Village, a beach cleanup operation at Aïn Franine in Kristel, a reforestation campaign in the Sidi El-Bachir forest, collective reading cultural activities at the Freedom Garden (Jardin de la Liberté), as well as a drug danger awareness campaign at the regional library plaza.
The proceedings of the forum concluded with a call to ensure the sustainability of this type of program, to strengthen the support and mentoring mechanisms for young people, and to expand these initiatives to reach a larger number of project initiators, in order to train a generation of young leaders capable of taking on development challenges and contributing to the country's future.
