KASSALA, June 8 (SUNA) — The Second National Conference on Youth Issues continued its sessions on Monday at Dar-el-Kheir Hall in Kassala. The event was attended by the Federal Minister of Youth and Sports, Professor Ahmed Adam Ahmed; the Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee and Undersecretary of the Ministry, Dr. Hani Ahmed Taj El-Sir; the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports in Kassala State, Engineer Adam Garnos; and youth delegations representing various Sudanese states. The sessions focused on a package of entrepreneurial projects, youth innovations, and research papers offering creative solutions to development and social challenges. During the session, participants reviewed the “Collaborative Platform for Reconstruction,” which aims to support community building and development initiatives. Ahmed Khadir, representing the Northern State, presented the “Tamra” project, which aims to enhance the value-added processing of dates to maximize their economic returns. He also introduced a vegetable freezing project designed to minimize post-harvest losses and strengthen food security. In the digital transformation sector, youth presenters introduced several technical applications and initiatives, including the “Quick Coin” and “Naqaa” platforms, alongside a unified database and digital transformation application. Another prominent project leveraged Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist visually impaired individuals in navigating their surroundings independently. Furthermore, Sabir Mohamed from Sennar State presented an innovation to recycle agricultural waste into organic fertilizer (compost). Representing the Sudanese Scouts, Aya Taha and Abadhar Atif introduced “Amal” (Hope), a secure digital platform designed to prevent drug abuse and support recovering addicts through counselling, awareness, and online support networks. A digital application simplifying university enrollment procedures was also showcased. The session also featured the discussion of two working papers. The first explored mental health and its intersection with youth challenges, while the second examined the impact of social media platforms on the cultural identity of young people. Both papers highlighted the primary socio-digital challenges confronting the youth generation amidst current transitions. The Undersecretary of the Federal Ministry and Chairman of the Supreme Committee, Dr. Hani Ahmed Taj El-Sir, affirmed that the ideas, initiatives, and projects presented by the youth constitute a genuine asset to efforts addressing youth development in Sudan. He assured that the conference outputs and recommendations would be routed to competent mechanisms and relevant partners for implementation into supportive national policies and programs. He stated that the Ministry of Youth and Sports is fully committed to transforming these conference outcomes into practical projects that foster innovation and entrepreneurship, empowering young people to contribute effectively to national development and reconstruction efforts. He lauded the Kassala conference for its success in mobilizing the energy of Sudanese youth and fostering their capacity to deliver realistic solutions for the country’s future.BH/BH