More than 1,000 young leaders, policymakers, and development actors from across Africa convened in Nairobi for the opening of CorpsAfrica’s 2025 All-Country Conference (ACC 2025).
Held at the Kenya School of Government, the five-day summit celebrates the power of volunteerism and community-driven development under the theme “Leading with Ubuntu: African Youth Transforming the Continent.”
The conference brought together participants from CorpsAfrica’s 11 operating countries including Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Morocco, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, The Gambia, and Côte d’Ivoire. It marks a historic moment in the organization’s mission to showcase African youth not just as the future, but as present-day leaders advancing sustainable development from the grassroots.
CorpsAfrica Founder and CEO Liz Fanning emphasized the importance of creating platforms for youth to shape their future. “At a time when Africa’s youth are calling for meaningful opportunities, we stand firm in our belief that they are the solution,” she said. “Our vision is to cultivate a generation of African leaders rooted in community and committed to sustainable change.”
Dr. Samora Otieno, CorpsAfrica’s Chief of Programs, highlighted the scale of the organization’s impact: over 1,000 volunteers have been deployed to underserved rural areas since 2011, facilitating more than 10,500 social and economic activities and 425 small-scale projects since 2021.
These initiatives have improved the lives of nearly two million people across sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and water access.
ACC 2025 also provided hands-on professional development workshops, policy dialogues, and innovation exhibitions, with participants earning professional certificates upon completion.
The conference framed youth volunteerism as a strategic solution to Africa’s deepening youth unemployment crisis, currently 38 percent in Kenya, 42 percent in Nigeria, and 46 percent in South Africa.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Hon. Salim Mvurya, urged African nations to embrace volunteerism as a cornerstone of national development. “Africa’s youth want jobs, not handouts; platforms, not patronage,” he stated. “CorpsAfrica’s model proves what happens when we trust young people to lead.”
With support from partners like the Mastercard Foundation, UN Volunteers, and the African Union Youth Division, ACC 2025 positions CorpsAfrica as a leading force in transforming volunteerism into a powerful engine of civic leadership, entrepreneurship, and inclusive growth across the continent.