African youth entrepreneurs launch continental youth business council

The AfYBC was officially launched at the East African Community (EAC) Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, on the sidelines of the 2022 YouLead Summit during its 6th edition. The YouLead summit is one of Africa’s most diverse youth events. 

While launching the AfYBC, African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM), Amb. Albert Muchanga, urged young African entrepreneurs to use innovation to their advantage and leverage partnerships to create smart solutions for the continent’s most pressing development challenges.

“Today, you will also be launching the Afrikan Youth Business Council – a continental apex body for youth-led private sector entities, institutions and associations in Africa, advocating for a youth-friendly business policy environment, aimed at making AfCFTA Promises to African youth reality. I understand and acknowledge the challenging macroeconomic environment that Africa and the world find themselves in at the moment. This should be the ultimate goal of the African Youth Business Council. Secondly, the African Youth Business Council can provide an opportunity for collaboration and value-chain development. An agricultural startup in Nigeria can easily collaborate with a peer company in Kenya, while a medical supplies startup in Egypt could easily source raw materials and natural extracts from Democratic Republic of Congo, or Guinea. This is the kind of real-life collaboration we hope to see,” the commissioner told the youth delegates.

“Our mission is to become the leading youth-led continental private sector organisation advocating for youth-friendly economic and trade policies, promoting fair trade and fair competition and connectivity for youth-led enterprises. The AfYBC will leverage the entrepreneurial ingenuity of Africa’s youth to drive cross-border trade in goods and services and make youth crucial contributors to the continent’s socio-economic transformation,” said Leah Nduati, AfYBC’s interim president.

Since its launch in December, the council has attracted over two hundred membership applications from across the continent and has begun engagements with partner organisations as it rolls out its 2023 strategic agenda.