Africa is the youngest continent in the world. More than 60 percent of its population is under 25 and its 226 million young people are already leading: building enterprises, running campaigns, developing technology and holding institutions to account, often long before those institutions make room for them.

In response, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is establishing an African Youth Co-Creators Council. The council is a new continental advisory group established by the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA). Its 11 members, drawn from Africa's five regions and the diaspora, will spend two years working alongside UNDP teams in Addis Ababa, Dakar, Nairobi and Pretoria and connecting with Country Offices in 46 countries across the continent.

Council members will help shape UNDP's new Africa Youth Portfolio and the wider work of the Regional Service Centre for Africa, from design through implementation to monitoring and reporting.

What the Council will do

The Council's mandate follows a triple-A strategy:

Advise. Guide the design and delivery of UNDP projects and flagship initiatives across the region and contribute to how results are monitored, evaluated and learned from.

Anticipate. Surface emerging trends, risks and opportunities facing young Africans and propose the policy and programme responses to match.

Amplify. Strengthen their own leadership through dedicated capacity-building and carry those skills back into their communities as effective leaders of change.

In practice, members will take part in consultations and policy discussions, identify and document youth-led solutions worth scaling, engage UNDP Country Offices and UN country-level youth structures when relevant and join regional dialogues with partners including the African Union Commission and Regional Economic Communities. At the end of its mandate, the Council will produce a consolidated report on youth priorities and emerging trends across Africa which will act as a resource for UNDP and development partners alike.

Most meetings will take place online, with a few key moments such as onboarding, the mid-term review and the closing ceremony, bringing members together in person. Members are expected to take part in at least 75 percent of Council activities. Participation is voluntary, and UNDP will reasonably cover the costs of travel, accommodation, meals and digital communications for Council activities.

Who can apply

You are eligible to apply if you:

• are an African national aged between 18 and 34 at the time of selection, living on the continent or in the diaspora (a maximum of two seats are reserved for diaspora candidates);
• have demonstrated leadership, community engagement or innovation experience in one or more of the following areas: systems thinking, communication, governance, political transitions, peacebuilding, climate action, mental health, gender, the green, blue or orange economy, poverty reduction, or digital innovation;
• are committed to inclusive development and youth empowerment;
• have not previously served on a Youth Advisory Council, Youth Sounding Board or similar advisory mechanism of the UN or another development partner—the Council is designed to bring in fresh perspectives;
• can take part in regular virtual meetings and periodic in-person engagements;
• have strong written and spoken English; and
• are able to serve in a personal and apolitical capacity.

You can apply as an individual or as a member of a youth organization; however, belonging to an organization does not mean you will represent it on the Council.

Selection will prioritize gender balance, regional diversity and inclusion, including persons with disabilities, young people from rural and remote areas and linguistic diversity.

How selection works

Applications are open until 31 July 2026 for one month. UNDP Country Offices across Africa will support the compilation of a longlist, from which the RSCA team will prepare a shortlist reflecting the Council's regional diversity and inclusion criteria. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a panel drawn from the RSCA team, Country Offices and development partners, using a scoring matrix. The top-ranked candidates will be formally notified.

How to apply

Complete the application form at https://shorturl.at/Cajzy by 31 July 2026.

Your voice. Your ideas. Our future.

Please note that submissions can be in English or French.

For further clarification, please reach out to Ana Dju ana.dju@undp.org