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- November 21, 2025
The African Emerging Leaders Conference (AELC) is WYA Africa’s annual gathering of young leaders from across Africa. This event is designed to equip young people with knowledge, skills, and confidence to shape governance and policy in their communities and countries. Inspired by this nature, the AELC provides a dynamic and engaging platform where young people get to learn from one another, which leads to dialogue, intellectual formation, and leadership development, which is rooted in the intrinsic dignity of every person. This conference reaffirms the importance of upholding the dignity of the human person in policies and also in day-to-day interactions in society. Building on this, this year’s AELC was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 12th to 14th November 2025, and it offered a platform for identifying various government challenges, dialogue and the role of young people in actively participating in influencing policy. The AELC convened 40 young people who came ready to learn and engage with policy work, creating a very vibrant and engaging environment. The conference aimed to train and empower young people with the tools to shape governance and strengthen their participation, especially in policymaking. We held practical sessions which demonstrated to participants opportunities they have to practice advocacy, constructive debate, and policy drafting. These skills are what WYA Africa hopes to build confidence among young people. The goal is to have every participant prepared to take part in public participation calls, community forums, and legislative initiatives. After recognising systemic governance issues such as gaps in accountability, transparency, and citizen participation, we helped our participants to think about how to respond constructively.
The AELC highlighted the importance of the Advocacy Academy program, as participants would gain a deeper understanding of how to amend language, defend policies using data, research, and community-based evidence. This reaffirmed that for advocacy to be more effective, passion is not enough, but being critical and being able to analyse policies is equally important. The AELC was an intimate forum that encouraged young people to articulate solutions that are grounded in dignity and solidarity. This helped in emphasising the importance of experiential learning by encouraging and reaffirming that young people can meaningfully shape policy at the local level. By grounding advocacy work in evidence and dignity, it promotes a ripple effect for participants to be change makers, which can position Africa as a region to be a global leader in youth-driven governance.
Advocacy lies at the core of WYA Africa’s mission. By training young people to conduct rigorous research, facilitate inclusive policy dialogues, and draft reform proposals, AELC equips them with the skills to influence governance processes with credibility and integrity. These experiences not only prepare trainees to become effective advocates but also ensure that youth voices are meaningfully represented in democratic reforms.
Through this work, WYA Africa advances the values of human dignity, and it contributes to achieving Sustainable Development. This reaffirms the necessity of placing the human person a nd human dignity at the centre, ensuring that all social, economic, and environmental factors ultimately serve the flourishing of the individual and the family. This is the step that can speak towards realising strong governance and policy-making, as the human person is the world’s greatest resource.
