This knowledge product highlights the meaningful contributions of youth across Africa in promoting inclusive decision-making, social cohesion, and sustainable peace. It documents 44 initiatives from multiple countries, showcasing how young people are driving change in governance, peacebuilding, and community resilience. The examples demonstrate how youth can act as agents of social transformation, addressing complex challenges such as violent extremism, political instability, unemployment, climate vulnerability, and social fragmentation.
Across the continent, youth-led initiatives take diverse forms. Programs like Angola’s #WeBelongAfrica foster inclusion and belonging, while Benin’s Pools of Messengers of Peace counter violent extremism and hate speech. Botswana’s YouthConnekt emphasizes skills development and civic participation, and Burkina Faso’s JDDP project supports young peacebuilders and human rights defenders. Other projects, such as Burundi’s Best Food Solutions Plus and Cabo Verde’s “AMI É DI PAZ I BO?” initiative, promote youth entrepreneurship and community peace. In Cameroon, sport is used as a tool for cohesion through the Na We We Sports Jamboree, while Chad advances national reconciliation via Peace and Reconciliation Commissions.
In addition, many programs empower youth to engage with broader policy and sustainable development goals. Initiatives such as Kinshasa Youth Committed to Achieving the SDGs in the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia’s Empowering a Generation program, and Eritrea’s Youth Connects for Development integrate youth voices into national and global policy discussions. Other efforts, like Gabon’s Engaged Young Citizens initiative, The Gambia’s Youth Peace and Security National Action Plan, and Ghana’s Livelihoods for Cohesion program, emphasize civic participation, decision-making, and community resilience. Across Southern Africa, youth engagement projects in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, and South Africa strengthen governance, leadership, and peaceful participation in political processes.
The initiatives collectively reveal that meaningful youth participation enhances governance responsiveness, builds institutional capacity, and translates energy into measurable outcomes. Effective programs integrate economic opportunities, partnerships with authorities and communities, and support from development partners to ensure sustainability and scale. Lessons learned emphasize the need for sustained funding, early government buy-in, inclusion of marginalized youth, and integration of youth programming into broader national frameworks.
The documented cases demonstrate that investing in youth leadership is not only a demographic imperative but also essential for advancing democratic governance, social cohesion, and sustainable peace across Africa. By empowering young people as agents of change, these initiatives foster inclusive, resilient, and sustainable societies where youth actively shape the future of their communities.
