Young people in Africa have led powerful advocacy, innovation, and community-level responses during health emergencies such as COVID-19, Ebola, and the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS.
Africa CDC recognizes young people as critical agents of change. With over 65% of Africa’s population under the age of 35, the youths are not just the future–they are central to building the continent’s health security.
To further buttress these efforts and amplify their voices, Africa CDC has put in place a robust approach to engage with young people in the context of public health. This approach involves implementing several youth engagement efforts, including the AU Bingwa Initiative, Youth Advisory Team for Health (YAT4H), and the Youth in Digital Health Network (YiDHN) among others.
Recently, Africa CDC also launched its strategy for youth Engagement and Participation in Global Health (YES!Health), marking a transformative moment for youth participation. This move positions young people not just as recipients of policies but as partners in elevating public health in Africa. The launch took place at the 8th Pan-African Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR) Scientific Conference in June, in Mombasa, Kenya.
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Speaking during the launch of the YES!Health strategy, the head of Africa CDC Youth Programme, Dr Promesse Kaniki noted that the strategy is not an addition to the many African Union’s list of strategic documents, like the Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Africa Health strategy. Rather, it brings to the fore the youth perspective to these continental instruments.
“Why do we have a youth engagement strategy at Africa CDC? First of all, it’s to make sure that we are leveraging the youth potential on the continent. The young people are the majority on the continent and we cannot achieve all these initiatives if we are not involving young people”, Dr Kaniki said.
The newly launched YES!Health Strategy and other Africa CDC flagship initiatives place young people at the heart of decision-making, policy development, and health programming. They also ensure youth voices are included in shaping Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) priorities, financing, digital transformation, as well as health innovation.
Dr Mazyanga Lucy Mazaba, Regional Director for the Eastern Africa region, in her launching remarks, described the YES!Health Strategy as Africa CDC’s blueprint to foster youth engagement in public health in Africa. She however cautioned that the real power of the instrument lies in how it is brought to life through real conversations, shared spaces, and inter-generational collaboration.
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“It’s not enough to include youth as a checkbox. We must intentionally engage them in program design, in policy shaping, in innovation, and in advocacy. And we must do so not tomorrow, but today. Because the future of Africa’s health is not on the horizon. It is here, it is young, and it is ready”, Dr Mazaba emphasized.
She re-echoed Africa CDC’s commitment to leading youth-driven and youth-responsive programmes. From SRH to health security, and emergency preparedness and response. Ensuring that young people are not just involved, but they are empowered to lead.
During the week-long event, Africa CDC also hosted an exhibition booth which served as a hub for connection and co-creation. The booth offered a space for conference delegates, including youths and other strategic health partners to exchange ideas, built networks, and shared inspiring experiences in their collective drive for a healthier, more equitable SRHR future across Africa.
