Youth Ambassadors for Peace: how did they fare?

This policy brief evaluates the first cohort of African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAPs), who served a two-year tenure ending in February 2022. It examines their role in mainstreaming youth into the African Union's (AU) peace and security agenda, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their activities, and provides recommendations for future cohorts to sustain and upscale youth participation in peacebuilding.

• The first cohort of African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAPs) influenced peace and security policy by participating in African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) sessions and implementing capacity-building activities and projects tailored to specific regions.
• AYAPs increased youth involvement in high-level decision-making, policy formulation, and the monitoring of peace agreements, which helped policymakers better appreciate the value of young people in peacebuilding.
• The COVID-19 pandemic created a 'virtual norm' that allowed AYAPs to overcome logistical and cost barriers to youth participation, though the high volume of online activities eventually led to participant fatigue.
• The pandemic hindered the AU's ability to provide essential induction and training for AYAPs on administrative procedures, financial regulations, and project management, which caused initial delays and frustration with bureaucracy.
• The AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) formally recognized the first cohort's contributions to the 'AU Youth Silencing the Guns Campaign' in 2020 and their work in collaborating with regional economic communities and regional mechanisms (RECs/RMs).
• The first cohort of AYAPs consisted of five individuals representing Africa's five geographic regions: Alhafiz Hassan Ahamat (Central, Chad), Emma Ng'ang'a (East, Kenya), Mohammed Edabbar (North, Libya), Karabo Mokgonyana (South, South Africa), and Moctar Kané (West, Mali).

APA

Nkosi, S., Ako, R., & Ukeje, C. (2022). Youth Ambassadors for Peace: how did they fare? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-175-01.pdf

Chicago

Nkosi, Sibusisiwe, Rhuks Ako, and Charles Ukeje. Youth Ambassadors for Peace: how did they fare? Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-175-01.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nkosi |first1=Sibusisiwe |last2=Ako |first2=Rhuks |last3=Ukeje |first3=Charles |title=Youth Ambassadors for Peace: how did they fare? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-175-01.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nkosi2022youth, author = {Nkosi, Sibusisiwe and Ako, Rhuks and Ukeje, Charles}, title = {{Youth Ambassadors for Peace: how did they fare?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-175-01.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }