Africa’s Future Shock-Absorbers: Youth Turn Climate Migration into Momentum
Written By Maxine Ansah
Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When IOM unveiled the 2025 cohort of youth leaders for its Youth Capacity Enhancement Programme on Climate Mobility, it marked a turning point in the climate and migration discourse across Africa. Forty innovative young minds were handpicked from over 2,000 applicants, each ready to lead, adapt and act where the climate crisis meets human movement.
This programme, powered by IOM and backed by Denmark’s Climate Change and Migration Data (CCMD) initiative, is designed to transform youth-led ideas into scalable actions. Selected participants will embark on a rigorous yet empowering journey: online training beginning in August 2025, followed by an in-person workshop, mentorship and proposal development, all framed within global and regional policy frameworks such as the Kampala Ministerial Declaration, AU Agenda 2063, the Global Compact for Migration, the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Africa is young, with more than 60 per cent of its population under 25. By 2030, its youth will represent 42 per cent of the global youth demographic. These young leaders, drawn from diverse geographies, languages and disciplines, are already making waves. Some are anchoring nature-based adaptation in Sahelian communities, while others are pioneering digital tools such as early warning systems in coastal towns. IOM is now providing them with capacity, networks and platforms to pilot climate migration solutions through a lens of equity, dignity and sustainability.
The programme is also designed to foster ownership. Participants will refine their project concepts, born from grassroots challenges, into actionable proposals aligned with national policies and global frameworks. The mentorship and visibility opportunities will help seed a continent-wide movement of community-led climate mobility solutions.
For those eager to explore more about youth engagement at the nexus of migration, environment and climate change, the newly published guide Claim That Space – a Youth Leadership Guide on Migration, Environment and Climate Change in Africa offers invaluable insights. It aims to equip young changemakers with the tools and confidence to shape inclusive, resilient futures.