Energize Africa aims to achieve the following:

• Mobilise Africa’s dynamic technical and professional youth with a passion for Pan-Africanism to support the delivery of AUDA-NEPAD flagship and priority projects for achieving Agenda 2063;

• Create a pool of highly qualified and competent youth committed to contributing to the operations and activities of Africa’s public and private sectors to ensure better capacity enhancements for African countries;

• Contribute to AUDA-NEPAD’s programmes and project implementation by ensuring adequate geographical and gender representation of well-capacitated young professionals in African Union institutions, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and across sectors in countries; and

• Enhance the role of the youth as the principal architect for sustainable human development and security in Africa as envisioned by the African Youth Charter

The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD in partnership with Afreximbank, co-launched the AUDA-NEPAD Energize Africa initiative on the margins of the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York, on 19 September 2022. 

The Energize Africa initiative recognises that Africa’s youth and women – making up more than half of the continent’s populations - must be at the core of Africa’s economic growth and inclusive development strategies. The initiative is about harnessing the youths’ creativity and innovativeness into the continent’s economic growth and development drive, whilst expanding income opportunities for the youth – through creation of jobs, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Energize Africa’s focus is on young professionals to enhance public sector efficiency; Innovation hubs to stimulate solution-focused research and development, and; Entrepreneurship opportunities for Africa’s youthful populations for improved socio-economic well-being.

Recognising that the continent with the highest percentage of entrepreneurs among working-age adults is Africa, AUDA-NEPAD has designed the Energize Africa initiative as a continental platform of youth professionals, institutions and facilities to strengthen innovative solutions, skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.

Energize Africa is an acknowledgement that youth are partners for the sustainable development, peace and prosperity of Africa, with a unique contribution to make to the continent’s present and future development.