AN inspiring Tanzanian young girl Salma Iddi, an advocate for women's economic empowerment and climate activism, recently made waves at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024 (SPIEF’24) that took place from 5th to 8th of June 2024 in Russia.

Salma who is the founder and executive director of an NGO committed to supporting women in their journey towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth represented youth of Tanzania.

Her participation was sponsored by Friends for Leadership programme, a new-generation initiative that supports young individuals in their endeavours. The programme is dedicated to nurturing young entrepreneurs, scientists and coordinators of youth projects by providing them with valuable advice on running businesses and developing scientific, social and youth projects. 

Salma's involvement in SPIEF 2024 highlights her commitment to addressing critical issues such as economic empowerment for women and climate change. Her participation underscores the importance of including youth voices in discussions that shape the future of the world. 

At the forum, Salma had the opportunity to engage with business leaders, policymakers, and fellow activists, sharing her insights and learning from others' experiences. 

By participating in such a prestigious event, she not only represented the aspirations of Tanzanian youth but also showcased the vital role that young people play in driving sustainable development and economic growth. 

The forum’s central event was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and attracted 17,000 participants from 130 countries worldwide. Speaking during the event, President Putin commended the forum by committing himself to support the event.

“I would like to take advantage of the SPIEF venue to tell you not only about the goals and tasks that we in Russia have set for ourselves but also about our views on the state of the global economic system. For us, this is not an abstract conversation, nor an academic discussion. Russia’s development, simply by virtue of its size, history, culture, the human potential and economic opportunities cannot take place outside the global context, without the correlation of the domestic, national and global agendas,” he said.

Over the last 24 years, the forum has become a leading global platform for members of the business community to meet and discuss the key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets and an avenue where opinions are exchanged and cooperation ties are established, making it an ideal stage for young leaders like Salma to voice their perspectives and contribute to global dialogues. 

SPIEF is a unique event in the world of business and economics that has been held since 1997, and since 2006, it has been held under the auspices of the President of the Russian Federation, who has also attended each event which has grown into a premier global platform for discussing international development issues.