The Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) is an EU flagship initiative that empowers young people to become leaders and agents of change, strengthening cooperation between Africa and Europe through training, mentoring and networking opportunities. As an education partner, the EUI’s School of Transnational Governance (STG) contributes to the initiative’s ‘Connect Potential’ pillar, including the organisation of local youth-led events, starting with the first Local Youth Connecting Event in Nairobi, Kenya, on the theme of innovation, AI and youth employment.
The Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) is an EU flagship initiative that empowers young people to become leaders and agents of change. It equips them with the skills, opportunities, and networks they need to shape their future and strengthen ties between Africa and Europe. AEYA is implemented by Expertise France (EF) in consortium with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), with the European University Institute (EUI), the University of Pavia, and the University of Turin as implementing education partners.
The EUI’s School of Transnational Governance is part of the Africa Europe Youth Academy. The STG – Africa leads one of the education components under the third Work Package of the initiative, which contributes to AEYA’s ‘Connect Potential’ pillar. This work package develops online training and mentoring programmes for young people, including alumni of European Union-funded projects, and organises youth-led events at the local level.
The first of these, the Local Youth Connecting Event (LCE), takes place at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme Innovation, AI, and Youth Employment. It is organised in partnership with Strathmore University Business School (SBS), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and The Youth Café (TYC).
The event aims to empower young people aged 18-30, particularly young women and those in vulnerable situations, to strengthen their leadership and contribute to sustainable development while fostering closer Africa-Europe relations. Each LCE engages up to 120 young people and links them to the broader Africa-Europe youth leadership ecosystem.