Africa: African Union leaders at the Agha Absa Political Meeting issue a strong call to accelerate action and investment in youth for sustainable peace
The African Governance and African Peace and Security Architecture (AGA-APSA) platform today began its 2026 political-legal meeting in Addis Ababa, with a strong call to accelerate action to translate continental policy commitments into tangible results and to place youth empowerment at the heart of Africa’s governance and peace agenda.
In her welcome remarks, Hon. Sabrina Jahar, Chair of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) and Chair of the Platform at the political level, positioned the protection and empowerment of African youth not as a secondary concern, but as a fundamental pillar of sustainable peace and security.
Participants in a high-level panel discussion called for the meaningful participation of youth in peace processes, and investment in their resilience through mandatory budget allocations to education, health care and social services.
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In his opening remarks, His Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for PAPS at the African Union Commission and Rapporteur of the AGA-APSA Platform at the political level, stressed that sustainable peace and security in Africa cannot be separated from democratic governance, human rights and accountable institutions, as reiterated during the 2026 Political Legal Meeting of the AGA-APSA Platform. Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, His Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, highlighted the platform’s development into a major continental coordination mechanism and commended the progress achieved in 2025, in particular the 13th High-Level Dialogue on Justice, rights, reparations, and state buildingalong with youth and women-focused engagements that reinforced intergenerational ownership and policy relevance.
Looking to 2026, the Commissioner identified priority actions including stronger implementation of the decisions of the AU Peace and Security Council and the Committee of Permanent Representatives, early preparation of the AU’s 2028 theme on human rights, democracy and governance, and the advancement of youth empowerment as a flagship initiative of the platform. He stressed the need to translate commitments into tangible results, saying: “Youth inclusion, mainstreaming and empowerment remain a cross-cutting imperative for democracy, human rights, conflict prevention, peacebuilding and regional integration. In this regard, youth empowerment has been proposed for this platform as a major flagship initiative. I have personally committed to advancing this agenda and call on all members to rally around this theme for 2026 by meaningfully including young people across platforms, programs and activities. We already have the strategy, the AGA-APSA Youth Engagement Strategy, we just need to implement it,” he said, reaffirming his personal commitment to promoting youth inclusion through existing frameworks such as the AGA-APSA Youth Engagement Strategy, positioning the platform as a driver of the Agenda 2063 vision for an inclusive, people-centred Africa.
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His Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adeoye welcomed the upcoming African Governance Report 2027 focusing on “Youth in Governance in Africa: From Promise to Prosperity” and announced a dedicated policy panel discussion on “Empowering Youth for Governance and Regional Integration”, which includes insights from His Excellency the Ambassador. Marie Antoinette Rose Quatre, CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
The meeting, which includes the election of a new platform desk, brings together high-level representatives from AGA-APSA member bodies, the Peace and Security Council, the JSC Subcommittee, ambassadors, youth representatives and stakeholders.
The AGA-APSA platform reaffirms its commitment to be a driving force for a peaceful, just and inclusive Africa as envisioned in Agenda 2063, and to harness the energies and potential of its youth to achieve sustainable development, democratic governance and lasting security.
