Africa’s First Girls-Led Continental Summit Targets Stronger Leadership Role for Young Women
From Left:Francis Kangure, Board Member TDH Netherlands, Magdalene Muoki, Kenya Country Director TDH Netherlands, Graïnne Le Ferve, Executive Director TDH Netherlands,Emma Mumma,Board Member TDH Netherlands, Josephine Akiru, Uganda Country Director TDH Netherlands and Julius Mwatu, Board Member TDH Netherlands at She Leads Africa Summit 2025
Africa’s vibrant youth population, including more than 116 million people under 35 in East Africa alone, holds immense potential for the continent’s future. Yet, despite their active engagement in tackling issues such as climate change, digital inequality, gender-based violence, and economic injustice, Girls and Young Women (GYW) remain largely sidelined in leadership and decision-making spaces.
As the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline approaches, advocates say urgent action is needed to protect progress and ensure that young women’s voices are integrated into governance and development processes. This urgency is the driving force behind the She Leads Africa Summit 2025, taking place from August 11 to 14 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Under the theme “Sustaining Girls and Young Women Leadership in Key Decision-Making Spaces in Africa”, the gathering marks the first continental summit convened for and by girls and young women.
It is jointly organised by the Horn of Africa Youth Network (HoAYN) and Terre des Hommes Netherlands, alongside the Pan African She Leads Consortium partners, including Plan International AULO, Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands (DCI-ECPAT), FEMNET, and GIMAC.
Hosted in the Eastern Africa region, the event is both a culmination of the five-year She Leads programme (2021–2025) and a strategic platform to push for policies that place GYW at the centre of Africa’s future.
“We need to ensure Girls and Young Women continue to lead with impact in all spheres of life, now and in the future,” said Linnet Awor, Technical Expert, Lobby and Advocacy at Terre des Hommes Netherlands.
“Through collaborative advocacy, the Summit will strengthen feminist and youth-led movements, encouraging regional commitments to ensure GYW are engaged meaningfully in governance and development.”
The Summit will bring together young women leaders, policymakers, civil society actors, and development partners from across the continent. Over the four days, delegates will work to secure tangible policy commitments from regional and continental bodies to embed girls’ and young women’s leadership in decision-making processes.
Organisers say the event will also reinforce intergenerational and cross-border feminist networks and set out a Pan-African roadmap for a just, inclusive, and gender-equal post-2030 agenda.
This historic forum is expected to be a turning point in the fight for gender equality in Africa, signalling a future where girls and young women are not just participants but leaders shaping the continent’s destiny.
