By Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read | 28 October 2025 | 15:45 CAT

📸 Uganda hosts the Afro-Arab Youth Congress 2025 under the theme “Amplifying Youth Voices for Peace, Unity & Prosperity,” bringing together over 1,000 young leaders from Africa and the Arab world to drive collaboration and innovation.

Uganda has set the stage for a groundbreaking milestone in youth collaboration as it prepares to host the Afro-Arab Youth Congress 2025 – a landmark gathering themed “Amplifying Youth Voices for Peace, Unity, and Development.” The event is expected to bring together over 1,000 youth leaders, ministers, and heads of state from across Africa and the Arab world.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Margret Koketso Molefe from SABYA described the congress as “a strategic platform for bringing together youth for Afro-Arab solidarity,” noting that it moves young people “from being participants to becoming architects of change.”

The four-day Congress, held in Kampala from 7–10 October, featured workshops tackling key challenges facing the continent’s youth, from entrepreneurship and digital inclusion to climate resilience, peacebuilding, and regional integration. According to Molefe, “the emphasis was on equipping young people to lead transformation and drive cross-border collaboration.”

One of the most significant outcomes of the event was the launch of a fundraising drive for the construction of the Afro-Arab Youth Council’s new international headquarters in Uganda. In a major show of support, President Yoweri Museveni donated 50 hectares of land for the development. The headquarters will include a science and technology university, a heritage centre, recreational facilities, and a hotel creating vital opportunities for education, employment, and cross-cultural engagement.

“This represents a renewed effort to ensure that young people in the Afro-Arab countries have resources to learn, collaborate, and network,” said Molefe.

The Congress also endorsed the creation of a Youth Business Fund, a move hailed as a lifeline for emerging entrepreneurs. Backed by the Ugandan government, the fund will provide seed capital, low-interest loans, and grants for youth-led start-ups in sectors such as agriculture, renewable energy, and digital innovation. Molefe described this as “a new model of South-South cooperation, where Africa and the Arab nations invest directly in each other’s human capital and innovation systems.”

Her message to young Africans was clear: “Organise yourselves to have a unified voice. Put your hand up, opportunities like these are how we shape the future.”

The Afro-Arab Youth Congress stands as a reminder that the continent’s greatest resource, its youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but the driving force of today’s transformation.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Ahmed Waja and Margret Koketso Molefe.