The Youth Charter (YC) (www.YouthCharter.org) has announced the Africa-focused expansion of its acclaimed Youth 4 Africa Framework, calling for a new era of holistic, integrated and cross-sector youth development across the continent. Building on over 30 years of global experience in Sport for Development and Peace (SDP), the Youth Charter is urging African governments, CAF member associations, Pan-African institutions, NGOs, the private sector, and international development agencies to align sport, education, health, employment and peacebuilding into a unified strategy for delivering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

This announcement comes as African partners accelerate youth-focused initiatives across the continent, including the Tibu Africa–IOM Morocco Africa Cup of Living Together and the CAF x Afreximbank Schools Football Programme, both of which demonstrate the growing commitment to using sport as a driver of human development, opportunity and social cohesion.

Sport as a Catalyst for African Youth Empowerment

According to Geoff Thompson, Youth Charter Founder & Executive Chair:

“Africa’s youth are the greatest asset the continent possesses. But to unlock their potential, we must move beyond isolated projects and adopt an integrated, holistic model of community transformation. Sport—linked with education, employability, health and peace—is a powerful engine for hope, aspiration and opportunity.”

The Youth 4 Africa approach builds on the Youth Charter’s Community Campus Model, an ecosystem that integrates:

 

    Sport & Physical Activity

    Education & Digital Skills

    Health, Wellbeing & Life Skills

    Arts, Culture & Creative Expression

    Training, Employment & Enterprise Pathways

    Peacebuilding, Citizenship & Social Cohesion

A Continental Shift: Evidence from Morocco & the CAF Ecosystem

The Youth Charter highlights recent African initiatives as evidence of an emerging continental movement:

Tibu Africa & IOM Morocco – Africa Cup of Living Together

A model of sport as social inclusion, engaging migrant and Moroccan youth with education, leadership, and employability pathways—advancing SDGs on quality education, reduced inequalities, sustainable communities and peace.

CAF x Afreximbank Schools Football Development

A landmark partnership positioning football as a workforce pipeline for African youth, connecting early-age sport participation to career pathways across coaching, administration, media, events, technology and sport entrepreneurship.

These initiatives demonstrate how sport, when embedded within national strategies, can strengthen Africa’s human capital, reduce inequality and support peaceful, cohesive societies.

Call to African Institutions and International Partners

The Youth Charter is calling for:

 African Union (AU) bodies to integrate holistic sport-for-development frameworks into Agenda 2063 implementation.

CAF, Member Associations and Ministries of Sport/Education to expand community-based sport ecosystems linked with learning and employment.

Afreximbank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and private sector partners to invest in sport-driven youth development and community infrastructure.

International agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, IOM, UNESCO) to embed sport and culture within youth, migration, peacebuilding and resilience programmes.

“Sport is Africa’s universal language,” Thompson added. “If we integrate it with education, skills and opportunity, we can empower millions of young Africans to become tomorrow’s leaders, entrepreneurs and peacebuilders.”

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