Afrikan Youth Business Council set for launch Tuesday in Arusha

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The Afrikan Youth Business Council (AfYBC), is set to be officially launched on the sidelines of the 2022 YouLead Summit, Africa’s largest and most diverse youth event, on Tuesday at the East African Community (EAC) Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

AfYBC seeks to be the continental apex body for youth-led private sector entities, institutions and associations advocating for a youth-friendly business policy environment in general, and making the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement promises to African youth a reality, in particular.

“Our mission is to become the leading youth-led continental private sector organization advocating for youth-friendly economic and trade policies, promoting fair trade, fair competition and connectivity for youth-led enterprises. The Afrikan Youth Business Council seeks to leverage the entrepreneurial ingenuity of Africa’s youth to drive cross- border trade in goods and services and make youth crucial contributors to the continent’s socioeconomic transformation,” said a statement by the AfYBC founding members signed by Leah Nduati, AfYBC’s interim president.

The statement said, among others, the AfYBC will push for the removal of major inhibitors to youth entrepreneurs’ participation in the AfCFTA process, such as access to financing, capacity building and awareness, and free movement of persons, goods, services and skills. By fostering youth inclusion, the AfYBC will usher in increased productivity, reduced poverty and inequalities, crucial for the realization of a peaceful and prosperous Africa, as enshrined in Agenda 2063.

The AfYBC launch will be a culmination of the Summit’s Under 40 Business Leaders Forum which will take place all-day on Tuesday with over two hundred delegates from all over the continent in attendance. Following the launch, a continental membership drive will ensue and the AfYBC will begin operations,​​ following a predetermined roadmap.