A non-governmental organisation, Boys Quarters Africa, BQA, has urged stakeholders across Africa to prioritise the proper upbringing of the next generation of boys on the continent, saying failure to do so could be destructive.

Founder of BQA, Mr Solomon Ayodele, said this at the International Boychild Summit themed: ‘Redefining Masculinity: Boys Wholesome Men,’ held by BQA in Lagos.

Ayodele said raising boys properly should become part of the African culture, adding that spiritual leaders should also apply pressure in advocating for a genuine development of the boy child.

According to him, policymakers, corporate institutions and non-governmental organisations need to come together in ensuring that the next generation of boys was given the right education that would move society forward.

He said: “I do not want the commercialisation of the boy child conversation. The reality is the future of the world is dependent on this conversation. The truth is girls are taught to talk, walk and dress but no-one is paying attention to the boys. The inevitability of this conversation (boy child) is not for recognition or celebration, but cultural attention and institutional support for the boy child.

“If we do not pay attention to the next set of boys becoming men in Africa, the continent will be in a very terrible state in the next three to five years. The first thing I need us to do is: raising boys has to be ingrained in our culture. It has to be something that we must do, else there will be no future for the boys we are building.

“There needs to be a cultural change. There needs to be religious pressure. Pastors, Imams and what have you have to pay attention to men. We need platforms like this (BQA), policymakers, corporate institutions to join in the conversation. To continue to keep the conversation going, our 2026 International Boys Day will happen in four locations: Lagos, London, Zambia and Kaduna.”

For founder of Venia Group, Mr Kola Oyeneyin, who addressed newsmen at the event, he urged young men to make the right decisions as they grew older.

According to him, the decisions they made would determine future expectations.

He said: “The first ingredient that young men need to have is to understand that regardless of what your parents did or what your parents did not do, you are responsible for the choices that you make in life. We are a product of the sum total of our choices, not the product of the sum total of the chances that we take.

“The second thing to understand is that life is unforgiving, and time is not on our side. Every day lost, every year lost cannot be taken back. Also, wisdom is the principal thing. In everything they desire to get in life, it is extremely important that they become wise. The sum total of all of this is what will make a boy child grow up to become the kind of man that will be attractive to society.”