Post AYGC Engagement

Although YBF through the African Youth and Governance Convergence (AYGC) has chalked many successes registered across African countries; building of an empowered Youth, birth of many Youth led initiatives and the influencing of national and continental policies about the Youth, the Foundation acknowledges an un-bridged gap of the inclusion of Lusophone and North Africa Youth. When it comes to continental agenda setting and the startup scene for example, Lusophone Africa is the most disconnected, primarily because of the language barrier. This challenge is what YBF seeks to address through the AYGC initiative with specific focus on the Lusophone countries ie. African Youth of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea.

1. AYGC (2020) was successfully organized virtually in September and for the first time hosted African Youth from Lusophone countries through the support of the Open Society Foundations (OSF). AYGC made provision for the French and Portuguese speaking Lusophone Countries in its documentations and also adopting a multi-lingua approach to the deliberations. There were interpretations available in English, French and Portuguese with some media collaborations from the Lusophone side. The Foundation is hopeful this is but a step towards the promotion of youth inclusive democracy in Africa with a focus on Lusophone African youth.

2. Post engagement meeting between the Youth Bridge Foundation and Lusophone Africa