OfficeYouthEnvoy

The Office of the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson's Envoy on Youth represents and advocates for the voices, interests, and aspirations of African youth before relevant AU decision-making bodies. The Office works strategically to secure concrete political commitments on their behalf while engaging young people across the continent and the diaspora. By drawing them into meaningful intergenerational dialogues and impactful development actions, the Office champions the realization of the African Youth Charter and Agenda 2063.

Functioning within the institutional framework of the African Union and directly mandated by the AUC Chairperson, the Youth Envoy operates a political office tasked with advancing progressive policies. The mandate focuses on driving a fundamental transformation in youth development by accelerating:

Beyond strategic advocacy, the Office serves as a vital repository of institutional information regarding the Commission's youth-related activities, initiatives, and achievements. It provides a dedicated, accessible platform for young people to engage directly with the African Union and contribute meaningfully to the policy decisions that shape their lives.

The creation of the Youth Envoy position stems from a landmark ministerial recommendation produced during the 2nd Specialized Technical Committee on Youth, Culture, and Sports (STC-YCS 2) in 2016. Specifically, Decision 25 of that report:

Following this ministerial directive, the formal appointment framework was adopted during the 30th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in 2018. Later that year, the former Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, announced the historic inclusion of the African Union Youth Envoy as an official portfolio within his Cabinet.

To honour institutional continuity and the strict regional rotation guidelines required by the Commission, the office has been successfully led by two preceding tenures: