NEF Africa SDGs Week 2024

Youth-led Innovations for sustainable
Development in Africa

7-18th October 2024


This initiative is made possible through the generous support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a nonpartisan U.S.-based philanthropic organization. The Foundation provides reliable, responsive, and strategic support to partners such as AIMS, underscoring a shared vision of building an inclusive society where all a, communities, and the planet can thrive.


Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a common global roadmap for inclusive and sustainable progress. Over the past decade, notable progress has been made in advancing the Agenda 2030 goals worldwide, with clear contrasts between countries in the Global North and Global South. Indeed, countries with strong statistical systems and financial resources better report on SDGs compared to those with inadequate funding, poor statistical infrastructure, and a lack of capacity and expertise, resulting in poor quality of data and SDGs reports. While Africa is on a pivotal development journey, many countries still need to catch up in achieving most SDGs indicators.

With only six years left to conclude the Agenda 2030, Africa must consolidate its efforts to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. The participation of vulnerable groups, such as youth and women, in SDG ecosystems needs to meet global expectations. As a key asset of the continent, the African youth have a crucial role to play in amplifying their participation and contribution to achieving the SDGs.

Building upon the success and impact of past public engagement events led by its Ambassadors, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) acknowledges the vital role of youth in driving positive change. The NEF Africa SDGs Week aims to spotlight and celebrate youth-led initiatives and innovations that contribute to advancing the SDGs across Africa. By showcasing youth participation and leadership, this event also aspires to inspire, empower, and amplify the voices of young change-makers who are driving positive change in their communities and beyond.

Objectives

The main purpose of the NEF Africa SDGs Week is to raise awareness about SDGs among underserved groups such as youth and women and accelerate public participation in achieving set objectives across African countries. The event also aspires to bring together all key players in SDGs ecosystems from public and private sector organizations, and civil society to discuss the role and contribution of youth in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.

Specific objectives of this public engagement event include:

  • Showcase youth-led initiatives: Highlight innovative projects (African country SDGs profiles), campaigns, and solutions developed and implemented by young Africans to address key challenges aligned with the SDGs.
  • Empower youth voices: Provide a platform for young leaders to share their experiences, insights, and success stories, fostering dialogue and collaboration among peers and identified stakeholders within the SDGs ecosystems.
  • Foster inclusive partnerships: Facilitate networking and collaboration among youth organizations, civil society, governments, academia, and businesses to scale up youth-led initiatives and maximize impact towards achieving SDGs.
  • Inspire collective action: Catalyze collective action and commitment towards achieving the SDGs by highlighting tangible examples of youth-driven innovation and progress (African country SDGs profiles).
  • Promote SDGs inclusivity: Ensure representation and participation from diverse youth groups, including marginalized communities, rural youth, girls, and young people with disabilities.

Target audience

This event’s target audience will be as inclusive as possible with a minimum of 40% of the participants being women and 60% young people (under 35 years). All identified key stakeholders within the SDGs ecosystem will be invited including, but not limited to the following.

  • Youth leaders and activists
  • Representatives from youth-led organizations and networks
  • Government officials and policymakers
  • Civil society organizations and NGOs (including people living with disabilities)
  • Academia and research institutions
  • Private sector representatives and entrepreneurs
  • Development partners and international organizations
  • Media professionals and influencers
  • Community leaders
  • Faith-based organizations
  • Women-led organizations
  • Other stakeholders committed to sustainable development in Africa.

Key activities

To achieve the above objectives, the participants will be engaged through the following activities with a focus on sustainable development in Africa.

  • The youth-led project showcase: exhibitions, demonstrations of innovative projects, and initiatives addressing various SDGs, highlighting their impact and opportunities for scalability.
  • Panel discussions and keynote speeches: Engage prominent youth leaders, policymakers, corporate companies, and experts in discussions on topics such as youth empowerment, innovation ecosystems, partnership models, and SDGs implementation.
  • Workshops and skill-building sessions: Offer capacity-building workshops, training sessions, and mentorship opportunities to enhance the skills and capacities of young change-makers (especially those from undeserved communities) in accelerating their contribution to achieving SDGs.
  • Networking sessions: Facilitate structured networking opportunities, matchmaking sessions, and partnership forums to foster collaboration and resource mobilization among stakeholders.
  • Interactive stakeholder engagement: Organize interactive sessions, SDGs hackathons, and design thinking workshops to generate creative solutions to specific SDGs challenges and promote youth engagement.
  • Women in SDGs: Role of women’s leadership in accelerating the achievement of SDGs in Africa.
  • Outreach program: Visit target remote and rural areas and engage communities around SDGs.

Global Speakers

Prof. Londa Schiebinger



Dr. Uyi Stewart



Christopher Maloney



The event will take place simultaneously in:

Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Somaliland, and South Africa.

  


To show interest in participating in the NEF Africa SDGs Week 2024


Partners

CONTACTEZ-NOUS

For any queries, please reach out to:

Dr. Charles Lebon Mberi Kimpolo
Director, Industry Initiative & Next Einstein Forum (NEF)

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)
Email: lead@nef.org

Or Fill the form below.

Please note that it is preferred to fill out the form in English. This ensures that the conference organisers can assist you accordingly.


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