UNDP invites young leaders across Southern and Central Africa to apply to join the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) for the Enhancing Capacities of Young Women and Youth-Led Enterprises for Regional Trade (ECoWYERT) project — a new multi-country initiative aimed at strengthening youth and women-led MSMEs to participate more effectively in cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). 

This five-year project (2026–2030), implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the COMESA Federation for Women in Business (COMFWB), the Trade and Development Fund (TDF), the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the Better than Cash Alliance (BTCA), will  operate in six countries: Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

Applications are open to candidates who are citizens of these countries and resident in Africa.

The Youth Advisory Group will play a central role in guiding the project’s design, implementation, and impact, bringing together eight dynamic young leaders (18–35) to work alongside the Project Steering Committee, providing strategic insights, advising on priorities, and ensuring that youth voices shape every stage of the project. 

Members will represent diverse backgrounds across the project themes: enterprise development, youth and women’s economic empowerment, cross-border trade, innovation, digital inclusion, agribusiness, creative industries, and AfCFTA-related sectors. YAG members will provide support in the areas listed below.

Strategic Input & Advisory

• Provide guidance on project strategies, activities, and expected outcomes.
• Highlight barriers and opportunities faced by youth-owned MSMEs in cross-border trade under the AfCFTA.
• Advise on policies and regulatory issues that affect young entrepreneurs and women traders.

Co-Creation & Implementation

• Co-design youth-focused tools, interventions, and awareness campaigns.
• Support mobilization of youth and women entrepreneurs in border regions.
• Contribute to piloting and scaling innovative business models and financing solutions.

Representation & Advocacy

• Champion youth-inclusive approaches at national, regional, and continental levels.
• Represent youth perspectives in project governance structures.
• Amplify youth voices in AfCFTA-related dialogues, forums, and policy conversations.

Knowledge Sharing & Accountability

• Contribute to documentation of success stories and share lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes.
• Help ensure the project remains accountable to its youth inclusion commitments.

Eligibility Requirements

We welcome expressions of interest from young people who:

• Are aged 18–35.
• Are resident in Africa, and citizens of Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, or Zimbabwe
• Are actively involved in enterprise, innovation, policy, advocacy, or community development or initiatives relating to any of the project themes (AfCFTA, Gender, Youth, Financial Inclusion, Digital, trade).
• Have knowledge or experience related to AfCFTA, cross-border trade, MSME development, digital or financial inclusion, or women’s economic empowerment.
• Represent diverse and marginalized groups, including young women, youth with disabilities, refugees, and displaced youth.
• Are a current member of a Youth Group or Association

We strongly encourage applications from existing youth-led business associations, networks, and sectoral groups Women and young people from marginalised groups are strongly encouraged to apply

Eligible candidates are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) using the link below, outlining their background, experience, and motivation for joining the Youth Advisory Group.

Application deadline: 3 February 2026

Submit your application today: forms.office.com/e/bUu3Yv6NQq 

This is not a paid position, however, the cost of all project-related travel, accommodation and activities will be covered by the project. YAG members will benefit from regional leadership exposure, high-level networking with trade institutions and technical experts, capacity-building and skills development, opportunities to influence youth-focused trade interventions, visibility in AfCFTA policy and innovation spaces, and contribution to meaningful, youth-centred development impact.

ABOUT ECoWYERT

The ECoWYERT project seeks to enhance the capacities of women and youth-owned MSMEs, particularly young women from rural and peri-urban areas, to leverage the AfCFTA opportunity for income generation, job creation and poverty reduction. Interventions will help increase the productive and entrepreneurial capacities of women and youth-led enterprises, while helping them tap into regional value chains (primarily through aggregation).

 These enterprises will also be provided with access capital that is both appropriate and affordable, through a combination of 3 distinct financial solutions: (1). grants (targeted at individual young entrepreneurs who are new to entrepreneurship) which participants can utilize to procure equipment/ startup kits 2). A low-cost revolving fund for small scale cross border traders either individually or in groups, and 3). a young women’s fund/ line of credit for small to medium young entrepreneurs. These interventions will be reinforced by an ecosystem-strengthening component which will help to enhance youth inclusion and voice in the policy, regulatory and collaborative ecosystem, while supporting the uptake of digital payments systems to help participants trade more effectively across borders.