About

Initiated and convened by Youth Bridge Foundation (YBF), the African Youth and Governance Convergence (AYGC), since 2009 has served as an important platform for grooming young people in Africa and beyond the continent in the areas of

1. Leadership grooming
2. Cascade of mentorship
3. Community Impact
4. Networking & Exchanges

As a grooming platform, participants do not need to have good research, writing and public speaking skills. What is required is the interest and passion to be a positive change agent in the participants’ community!

Since 2019, the AYGC has served as a Youth Leadership Grooming Program and consistent with AYGC 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 themes, YBF maintains that Africa needs to localize and own the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Amid COVID-19, the harsh reality facing Africa, demands a very intensive and multi-stakeholder collaborative effort to mobilize young people to construct a safe and prosperous continent.

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO BUILD THE AFRICA WE WANT

Recognizing that the consequences of COVID-19 on economic and social lives in Africa are grave, the virtual 2020 Convergence theme: “COVID-19 Recovery: Building Partnerships for Youth-Led Community Development in Africa”, hints on the value of partnerships for sustainable recovery.

The reality that a sustainable Recovery Plan for Africa requires collaborative efforts that include the building of youth-centered partnerships among government, private sector, civil society and the citizenry is more urgent today. With over 73% of the continent’s population under the age of 35 years, Africa youth bulge presents both an opportunity and a challenge.

Policymakers at the national and sub-regional level are overwhelmed by challenges of unemployment, quality and access to education and basic services like health, water, etc. COVID-19 has also exposed the grave inequalities in the socio-economic and injustice requiring swift action by ALL. Appreciative of the fact that Africa is yet to reap the immense opportunities of its rich resources including human capital; the youth, it is imperative to harness the potential of the youth to lead the development of a sustainable recovery plan for Africa during and after the COVID-19 pandemic