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A new Pan-African network of young professionals is seeking to change how Africa is portrayed while connecting young people across the continent to develop solutions to shared challenges.
The Voice of the African Continent (VOAC) was formed in Accra, Ghana, on August 23, during the Orange Youth Festival.
The network brings together 12 young professionals from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, the Republic of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya, working across fields including media, agriculture, technology, education, enterprise and politics.
VOAC says its mission is to “reclaim and reimagine the African narrative” by creating platforms for young Africans to tell their own stories, collaborate across borders, develop sustainable solutions and mentor the next generation.
The founders argue that for generations, much of the world’s understanding of Africa has been shaped by narratives produced outside the continent.
But they say changing that narrative should go beyond producing more positive stories about Africa.
For VOAC, it also means questioning who controls the narrative, whose voices are heard and whether storytelling can translate into meaningful action.
Challenges Confronting Young Africans
The network says many of the challenges confronting young Africans, including unemployment, food insecurity, access to quality education, migration, digital opportunities and cultural preservation, cut across national borders.
It therefore wants to create stronger connections between young people developing solutions in different African countries.
According to the network, an agricultural entrepreneur in Ghana could share ideas with an innovator in Nigeria, while an educator in Kenya or filmmaker in Senegal could develop approaches that can be adapted elsewhere on the continent.
VOAC identifies a lack of visibility, connections, opportunities and collective action as major gaps limiting young Africans with ideas and solutions.
Its proposed response is to bring different sectors together, arguing that Africa’s development challenges are interconnected.
The network says its activities will focus on five broad areas: reclaiming the African narrative, connecting young Africans across borders, supporting African-led solutions, creating platforms for emerging talent and mentoring young people.
It also wants young Africans to move beyond being beneficiaries of development programmes and become active participants in designing and leading them.
Twelve Founding Members
VOAC’s long-term vision is “a united Africa where the continent’s story is told by Africans, for the world”, while promoting an Africa that can feed, believe in and reinvent itself through the work of its young people.
The 12 founding members are from six African countries, with four countries represented by members from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Ghana, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya.
The founders say the Accra meeting marks the beginning rather than the conclusion of the initiative, with plans to expand collaborations across countries and professions.
VOAC says it will use the network to help young Africans share knowledge, document their realities, support emerging talent and develop initiatives together.
