The 7th Southern Africa Youth Forum, held from 15–17 August 2025 in Antananarivo, Madagascar, under the theme “Pan-Africanism in Action: Mobilizing Youth for Sustainable Development and Civic Engagement,” successfully convened a broad coalition of stakeholders. The event was hosted by the Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF) in partnership with the Government of Madagascar, the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD), the SADC Parliamentary Forum, and numerous other regional and international partners.
Bringing together youth leaders from all 16 SADC nations and several other African countries, alongside policymakers, parliamentarians, and civil society actors, the Forum served as a critical platform for deliberating on youth priorities for regional transformation. Delegates expressed their gratitude to the Malagasy government for hosting and affirmed their commitment to presenting the resulting Youth Declaration to the SADC Chair, His Excellency President Andry Rajoelina, whose youth and vision for the region were warmly acknowledged.
In their deliberations, delegates emphatically reframed Pan-Africanism as a living, actionable force for contemporary challenges. They stressed the urgent need for youth-led initiatives in governance, innovation, and development, asserting that young people must own resources and have a seat at the decision-making table. Through the metaphor of a bird extinguishing a fire drop by drop, the Forum underscored that collective, consistent action by youth is essential to combat poverty, exclusion, injustice, and inequality.
The forum’s agenda encompassed a comprehensive range of critical issues, including effective youth participation, entrepreneurship, public health, digital transformation, the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence, climate resilience, and gender equality. Specific focus was placed on advancing the African Youth Charter, the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, and pursuing digital rights and legal reforms to end technology-facilitated gender-based violence, thereby solidifying the Forum’s role in shaping a progressive, youth-driven agenda for Southern Africa.
The Communique_7th Antananarivo Youth DeclationMadagascar 2025 – English
