demographic dividend of children in Africa, in which most of the African populations fall under 0-15 age group. She highlighted that among the various issues that impact children, education is the prominent one, which has a holistic impact on their life. She highlighted that ECOWAS is discussing the issue of pre-primary school education and expanding education in mother tongue. Furthermore, she stressed that child participation should start at an early stage within the education system. Adding that gender issues in education and the participation of children are interlinked, she stated that classrooms should be seen through gender lenses to improve participation of girls. Furthermore, the education system, she stated, needs restructuring and decolonization. African values, ethics and languages should be incorporated in the education system and children need to be enabled to critical thinking and question all aspects of their lives. In conclusion, she highlighted an initiative of ECOWAS called ‘50million women speak’, which is a project that provides a platform for women entrepreneurs to mentor various groups from all over Africa including girls in high schools. The project incorporates all RECs in Africa. Item 2.Presentation on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Ms Samrawit Getaneh, Legal researcher at the Secretariat of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, presented on the Committee and the Charter. She commenced by explaining the background of the charter which was adopted in 1990 and came into force 1999. It is ratified by 48 AU Member States, the remaining countries who have not yet ratified the charter are, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sahrawi Arab Republic, Somalia, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan, Tunisia and Morocco. She stated that the justification for the adoption of the Charter are twofold. The first is political exclusion of African States from the drafting process of the UN Convention on the Rights of the child and the second is the resulting legal omission in the UN Charter with respect to the challenges being faced by the African child. The Charter has four cardinal principles, which are the principles of nondiscrimination, best interest of the child, survival and development and child participation. The Charter establishes the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, to monitor the implementation of the Charter. The Committee is given the mandate to consider state reports and individual complaints/communications, to conduct on-site investigations and to interpret and promote the Charter.