Africa Day is the annual commemoration on May 25 of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. On this day, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states, at the time, signed a founding charter of the OAU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2002 the OAU established its own successor, the African Union. The name and date of Africa Day have been retained as a celebration of African unity.  Africa Day is celebrated annually to commemorate the achievements of the organisation as well as to celebrate the continent's progress.

In commemorating Africa Day this year, AUDA-NEPAD celebrated various innovations that are being developed by youth on the continent.  Despite the challenges of industrialisation and integration, many young entrepreneurs are pushing the envelope by developing innovative solutions to address the continent’s various challenges.

Speaking during the event opening, the CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, noted that the event was not only a celebration of who we are and our achievements, but a focus on the continent’s future – the youth of Africa.   

“We celebrate with the youths present with us this afternoon and their achievements in arts, culture, heritage, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology, while [underscoring] the need to identify who we are as Africans and placing Africa on a global stage intelligently,” Dr Mayaki said.

Prof Sarah Anyang Agbor, African Union Commissioner for Human Resources Science and Technology emphasised the important role of culture, arts and heritage.  “The role of culture, arts and heritage in sustainable development cannot be overemphasised. The synergy of culture and heritage speaks to the very essence of our people,” she said

Prof Agbor also spoke on Aspiration 6 of Agenda 2063, emphasising the need to shape the skills of young African entrepreneurs in a way that enables them to contribute to the continent’s economic growth for an Africa, whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of its citizens, especially its women and youth.

The Africa Day event showcased some of the solutions that young Africans are developing while at the same time making available the space for networking among the youths and invited stakeholders.

The event included youths from around the continent who spoke on various themes and achievements as listed below:

Jessica Mshama - a Tanzanian entrepreneur and artist.  Jessica is the director of Assumpter Digital Schools and CEO of a sister-owned business (J Sisters Company) that owns a variety of businesses including a supermarket, a mini processing industry, and a beauty parlour. 

Kelvin Chikumbirike - Performing Artist, Percussionist, Marimba maker, Zimbabwean culture and traditional instruments teacher and player, Published Author, and CEO at Vaima Arts Trust.  Vaima Arts trust is an organisation that works with marginalized communities. These include street kids, people living with disabilities and orphans. They use music and creative arts to rehabilitate, advocate and empower marginsalised people.They teach them how to play and make Zimbabwean traditional instruments such as marimba, ngoma, hosho and mbira.

Nandi Jakuja - a studio coordinator and artist liaison at Art Gazette as well as OPEN24HRS. Art Gazette is a curated catalogue of unique contemporary artworks providing elegant, creative environments for a range of public and private spaces. OPEN24HRS is a space created for artists to present their ideas, unfiltered. An anthropologist by profession, Nandi is passionate about the advancement of small businesses and entrepreneurs in developing countries. Her involvement in the art space is working to develop small players in the creative economy by providing the platform to showcase their work.

Nana Adjoa Asante - Acting Director of the National Folklore Board, a member of National Heritage Fund Committee and one of the youngest government agency heads in Ghana.  Nana Adjoa Adobea Asante was instrumental in the setting up of the Creative Arts Rights Court and assisted with drafting of the Memorandum to the Creative Arts Act.  Additionally, she secured National Folklore Board’s (NFB) place as the focal institution for the 2003 UNESCO Convention and instituted the celebration of World Folklore Day in Ghana.

Yussouf Ntwali - a passionate Rwandan entrepreneur with significant background in operating technology, education and service businesses. Yussouf is the Co-Founder and COO of BAG Innovation, an edtech solution to prepare Africa's future workforce. He is also a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a public speaker who enjoys speaking about a range of topics related to youth employment, education and entrepreneurship in Africa.

Warwick Vlantis - Co-Founder of the African Coding Network and Design Lead at Umuzi.org- both focused on creatinine greater access to tech careers for African youth. Warwick holds a Masters in Architecture, and adds value through a user-centric strategy and design lens, looking to address some of the hairiest challenges of our time.

Nebo Obinna Collins - Nigerian Executive Director of New Century Initiative and Founder of CELPH Consult.  He is one of the Coordinators of Not Too Young To Run Movement in Nigeria.  He has served as an executive member of both Nigerian Youth Parliament and National Youth Council of Nigeria and has been part of major youth development policies review in Nigeria, which include National Youth Policy 2019 - 2024, Nigeria Youth Employment Action Plan 2011 and Policy on Building Knowledge Based Nation through Information Technology with Focus on Youth and Women in 2014.

Sadya Touré - Alumni of the prestigious exchange program Mandela Washington Fellowship fellow in the United States, Sadya Touré is a young Malian writer, Feminist and Activist, Committed to Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment. She published her first book in 2018 called Être une Femme Ambitieuse au Mali.  She is the President of the Mali Musso Association, which supports women's education and empowerment in Mali. She was nominated by UNDP as one of four young people in the world to be a UNDP ambassador for the promotion of the Generation 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The celebration of Africa Day allowed continued reflection on the best way for Africa to pause to embrace its economic opportunities and to reflect on what it means to achieve the aspirations of Agenda 2063, The Africa We Want!