This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On June 25, 2020, the African Union (AU) launched the "Democracy and Governance in Africa- Youth Innovation Challenge" to promote youth-led innovations in democracy and governance across the continent.
The challenge aims to identify, capacitate and recognize youth working on digital or non-digital innovations in Africa, with a focus on addressing issues of democracy deficit, lack of good governance, and promoting human rights practices.
According to the AU, the innovation challenge targets youth innovators, innovation hubs, and incubation centres across the continent led by the youth, with a call for submissions that will close on July 28, 2020.
The challenge is aligned with the African Union theme of the year 2020 on "Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa's development", which aims to promote prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in Africa.
Through a comprehensive selection process, twenty (20) applicants will be shortlisted to benefit from an accelerator training programme with experienced trainers and experts, to help develop their ideas further for replication or scale-up.
The project is a joint project with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
