The University of South Africa (Unisa) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) have challenged young Africans to move beyond discussions about the continent’s future and take an active role in shaping its development.

The call was made during a youth engagement session at Unisa's Tshwane campus, themed "Inspiring the next generation of African game changers to advance Agenda 2063." The session brought together students, academics and business leaders to explore how young people can contribute to Africa's long-term development goals.

The engagement comes as AUDA-NEPAD marks 25 years since the establishment of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) in 2001. NEPAD began as a continental economic development blueprint before being reconstituted in 2018 as the African Union’s technical agency responsible for supporting the implementation of Agenda 2063.

Agenda 2063, adopted by the African Union in 2015, is Africa's 50-year development framework. It is built around seven aspirations and is currently being implemented through its second Ten-Year Implementation Plan, covering 2024 to 2033 and described as the "Decade of Acceleration."

Opening the session, Prof Boitumelo Senokoane, Executive Director of Unisa's Department of Institutional Advancement, said the university was well positioned to contribute to the continent's development because of its reach across Africa.

"Our university reaches students in every corner of this continent and beyond," Senokoane said. "It trains the very minds that will be called upon to lead Africa into the future envisioned by Agenda 2063."

He said the continent's development could not be achieved by governments and institutions alone, arguing that young people must be central to delivering the vision.

"The Agenda 2063 will not be delivered by institutions and agencies alone," he said. "It will be carried forward by young people in this hall today and the countless others whom they represent."

Senokoane said Unisa's role extended beyond providing qualifications, positioning the university as part of a broader effort to strengthen Africa's intellectual capacity and empower a new generation of leaders.

He also pointed to the contribution of young people to Africa's history, citing figures such as Sol Plaatjie, Tsietsi Mashinini and Philip Kgosana as examples of youth leadership that helped shape the continent's political trajectory.

"The question is whether we as institutions, leaders, and the continent are ready to walk alongside the youth to share knowledge honestly and to hand over responsibility with confidence," he said.

Zipporah Maubane, Head of Communications and Advocacy at AUDA-NEPAD, unpacked the origins and objectives of Agenda 2063, stressing the importance of ensuring that young people understand the framework and its implications for their future.

She highlighted the agenda's targets across areas including economic transformation, education, healthcare, agriculture, environmental sustainability, infrastructure, governance and cultural development.

Maubane also explained the distinction between Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. While the two frameworks share areas of focus, Agenda 2063 was developed specifically around Africa’s priorities, including economic integration, cultural identity and Pan-Africanism.

She highlighted the continent's continued dependence on external markets, pointing to the fact that African countries still trade extensively with Europe rather than with one another.

This, she said, underscored the importance of initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is among the African Union’s flagship projects aimed at advancing economic integration.

Other flagship initiatives include the African Medicines Agency, the Single African Air Transport Market and the Continental Power System Masterplan.

Maubane challenged young people to consider their own contribution to the continent's development rather than viewing Agenda 2063 as the responsibility of governments and institutions.

"How are you advancing the Agenda 2063?" she asked.

David Letsoalo, Director of Academic Support, Student Affairs, Internationalisation and Community Engagement at Unisa's Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, said Agenda 2063 needed to be understood within the broader history and philosophy of Pan-Africanism.

He described the agenda as "a responsive and reactive mechanism from the part of African people to redress or undo the damages of white supremacy, which have historically found expression in racism, slavery, colonialism, and imperialism."

Letsoalo said achieving the objectives of Agenda 2063 would require committed leadership, youth empowerment, education and technological skills.

He linked this need directly to Unisa's Catalytic Niche Areas (CNAs), the university's strategic research focus areas aimed at generating knowledge and solutions to complex challenges facing South Africa and the wider continent.

Letsoalo encouraged students to consider how their fields of study could contribute to these areas, arguing that education should ultimately translate into solutions, innovation and policy interventions.

He said Unisa's research agenda was intended to extend beyond academic spaces and contribute to addressing real-world challenges facing African societies.

Letsoalo also highlighted the importance of equipping young Africans with skills that can support the continent's industrialisation.

He argued that a skilled youth population could become a catalyst for economic growth, while a lack of skills could deepen the continent’s development challenges.

Mineral beneficiation and processing, he said, presented significant opportunities for young Africans to participate directly in Africa's economic transformation.

He urged students to acquire technical and Fourth Industrial Revolution-aligned skills that would allow them to participate in emerging industries and help Africa move beyond exporting raw materials.

The message running through the engagement was clear: Agenda 2063 is not simply a long-term policy framework for governments and development agencies. Its success will depend on whether young Africans understand the vision, acquire the skills needed to contribute to it and take ownership of the continent’s future.

For Unisa and AUDA-NEPAD, empowering that generation starts with ensuring that young people are not only aware of Agenda 2063, but understand where they fit into making it a reality.

* Article and photography by Victor Malatji, Journalist Intern, Department of Institutional Advancement