Kadmiel Van Der Puije at the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2026: From Delegate to Speaker

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WASHINGTON — One year can change everything.

In 2025, Kadmiel Van Der Puije attended the World Bank Group Youth Summit as a delegate, joining thousands of young leaders from around the world for conversations on development, innovation, and global leadership.

Twelve months later, he returned not only as a speaker but as the leader of one of the summit’s largest independent media delegations and the chief executive of an organization serving as an official media partner of the event.

The transformation reflects both the growing influence of Van Der Puije and the rapid rise of The Voice of Africa Group, the Pan African media and communications institution he leads.

As Chief Executive Officer of The Voice of Africa Group, Van Der Puije oversees an ecosystem spanning media, communications, tourism, investments, sports, and youth development. Today, the organization reaches more than 13 million people each month and has collaborated with global institutions including the United Nations, African Union, FIFA, NBA, and G20 platforms.

His work has earned international recognition, including being named a Misk Foundation 20 Under 30 Honoree, a distinction awarded to emerging leaders demonstrating exceptional impact across sectors.

At the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2026, that impact was visible throughout the event.

Van Der Puije led a delegation of 21 representatives composed of content creators, media professionals, students, and emerging leaders from multiple countries. The delegation represented one of the largest organized African media presences at the summit, creating content, conducting interviews, documenting key discussions, and amplifying the voices of delegates participating both in person and online.

For Van Der Puije, the objective was clear.

Too often, he believes, African youth participate in global conversations without receiving proportional visibility. Through The Voice of Africa, he has spent years working to ensure that African stories, perspectives, and achievements are not only included in international discussions but amplified at scale.

“The future of Africa will be shaped by young people who understand how to navigate global institutions while remaining connected to local realities,” Van Der Puije said during the summit. “Our responsibility is to ensure those voices are heard.”

Throughout the two day event, The Voice of Africa team conducted interviews with delegates, speakers, development professionals, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders from around the world.

Their coverage reached audiences across Africa, the diaspora, and international markets, helping extend the summit’s conversations far beyond Washington.

The organization’s presence reflected a broader mission that has defined Van Der Puije’s leadership.

Since founding and expanding The Voice of Africa Group, he has focused on building bridges between African youth and global opportunities.

Whether through media coverage, international partnerships, leadership programs, or large scale events, his work consistently centers on increasing access, visibility, and representation.

This year’s summit provided a significant platform for advancing that mission.

One of the most notable moments came when Van Der Puije joined a panel discussion focused on helping young leaders find and develop their voices in an increasingly connected world.

Sharing the stage with international development leader Tolu Olusina and communications strategist Tolani Alli, he explored how young professionals can build influence, credibility, and meaningful impact in a landscape shaped by technology, media, and rapidly changing global dynamics.

The conversation examined how leadership today requires more than expertise alone.

Participants discussed the importance of communication, storytelling, authenticity, and trust as essential skills for navigating international institutions and creating opportunities for future generations.

For Van Der Puije, whose career has largely been built around storytelling and media, the topic aligned closely with his own experience.

Over the past several years, he has transformed The Voice of Africa from a growing media platform into a recognized institution capable of convening leaders, organizations, governments, and youth communities across continents.

That ability to connect people and ideas was evident throughout the summit.

Among the delegation’s guests was Hasset Dereje, Miss World Africa and a prominent advocate for youth empowerment and social impact.

Her participation added another dimension to the African presence at the event, generating conversations around leadership, representation, and the role young people can play in shaping positive change.

Together with Dereje, Van Der Puije also introduced one of the summit’s most engaging initiatives.

The Voice of Africa hosted the Best Dressed Delegate Award, a celebration of culture, identity, and representation that quickly became a highlight among attendees.

The initiative recognized delegates whose attire reflected the diversity and cultural richness represented throughout the summit.

While lighthearted in nature, the award carried a deeper message.

For Van Der Puije, culture remains one of Africa’s most powerful assets and one of its most effective tools for building connections across borders.

Throughout the event, delegates proudly showcased traditional attire and cultural influences from their respective countries, creating opportunities for dialogue and mutual understanding.

The award became a reminder that leadership and identity are not mutually exclusive.

As discussions throughout the summit focused on the future of work, artificial intelligence, economic opportunity, and sustainable development, Van Der Puije emphasized another important theme: visibility.

He argues that talent alone is no longer enough in a world increasingly driven by attention, communication, and digital influence.

Young Africans must not only develop expertise but also learn how to position themselves for global opportunities.

That philosophy has shaped much of his work through The Voice of Africa.

By creating platforms that elevate emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, and changemakers, the organization seeks to ensure that African talent receives the recognition and access necessary to compete on a global stage.

The results are becoming increasingly visible.

Today, The Voice of Africa’s content reaches millions each month, while its partnerships continue to expand across international institutions, governments, corporations, and development organizations.

Yet despite the growth, Van Der Puije remains focused on a larger objective.

He sees media not simply as a business but as infrastructure for opportunity.

Every interview, partnership, event, and platform serves a broader purpose: helping young Africans gain access to the conversations, networks, and institutions shaping the future.

The World Bank Group Youth Summit 2026 offered a clear illustration of that vision in action.

A year after attending as a delegate, Van Der Puije returned as a speaker, media partner, delegation leader, and convener.

For many young professionals, the progression represents more than personal success.

It demonstrates what can happen when access is combined with preparation, vision, and persistence.

As global institutions increasingly seek to engage Africa’s rapidly growing youth population, leaders capable of connecting local communities with international platforms will play an increasingly important role.

Van Der Puije believes the next decade will belong to those who can build those bridges.

“The future is being shaped in rooms like these,” he said. “The question is whether young Africans are present in those rooms, contributing to those conversations, and helping lead them.”

At the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2026, the answer was increasingly clear.

They were not only present.

They were helping define the conversation.

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