Grants for Creating Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COYWA)

Grants for Creating Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COYWA) is sponsored by African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) in partnership with the Spanish Agency. This program supports initiatives that create opportunities for youth and women in Africa.

_The Creating Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COYWA) Programme officially launches its Africa Segment, operationalising a continent-wide investment in youth entrepreneurship, skills development, and women’s economic empowerment across five Regional Economic Communities and their Member States_ The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) today officially launched the Africa Segment of the Creating Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COYWA) Programme during a high-level event held on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government at the Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa.

The event was convened under the sub-theme “Accelerating Implementation of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan through Education and Skills, Entrepreneurship and Employment — The 3 Es.

” The launch was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between AUDA-NEPAD and AECID, as well as the signing of Delegation Agreements with five Regional Economic Communities (RECs): the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

These agreements formalise the regional implementation architecture for the Programme and enable accelerated delivery at national and community levels across the continent.

The event brought together Heads of State and Government, Ministers, senior officials from AU Member States and RECs, development and financial partners, and representatives of the private sector, underscoring the strong political commitment and multi-stakeholder alignment behind COYWA. ## The Urgency: Africa’s Youth and Women by the Numbers The COYWA launch comes at a moment of demographic urgency.

Africa is home to the youngest population on earth, with over 60 per cent of its 1. 4 billion people under the age of 25. According to the Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Youth Employment Outlook 2026, the continent’s youth population is projected to grow by 132 million this decade alone, with a further 147 million in the 2030s.

Among those working, 96 per cent hold informal jobs and 40 per cent live below the international poverty line. Women are Africa’s economic backbone, yet remain held back by persistent structural gaps. According to the World Economic Forum, women comprise 58 per cent of Africa’s self-employed population and contribute approximately 13 per cent of the continent’s GDP.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship in the world at 26 per cent. However, a US$42 billion funding gap for women entrepreneurs persists, and closing the gender gap in the economy could add up to US$2. 5 trillion to Africa’s GDP (World Economic Forum, 2025).

Women reinvest up to 90 per cent of their incomes in education, health, and nutrition, compared to 40 per cent by their male counterparts. AUDA-NEPAD Directorate for Human Capital and Institutional Development programing advocates and implements for youth empowerment, urging partnerships and investments towards skills development for employability and entrepreneurship as it remains a critical enabler of youth economic participation.

COYWA’s multi-sectoral approach positions access and opportunities for employability, as foundational to youth economic empowerment. ## Keynote Address: H. E.

Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of the Republic of Namibia H. E.

Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of the Republic of Namibia and Africa’s first female head of state, delivered the Keynote Address through Honourable Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister for International Relations and Trade, who represented the President, positioning COYWA within the broader continental ambition of harnessing Africa’s demographic dividend through targeted, cross-sectoral investments in youth and women.

“_Programmes such as COYWA, which combine skills, opportunity, finance, and institutional support at scale, are precisely the partnerships Africa needs to ensure that young people and women are not only prepared for the future but empowered to shape it. ”_ **— H. E.

Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of the Republic of Namibia (delivered by Honourable Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister for International Relations and Trade** ## A Continent-Wide Platform for Young Entrepreneurs and Women’s Empowerment COYWA is a joint initiative of AUDA-NEPAD and AECID, implemented under the Human Capital and Institutional Development (HCID) Directorate.

The Programme focuses on entrepreneurship, digital and financial literacy, skills development for processing and services sectors, and inclusive socio-economic participation, including the prevention of gender-based violence and the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRH).

COYWA aligns directly with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and its Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan, and contributes to the continent’s priorities on youth employment, human capital development, and regional integration.

The Programme was first launched internationally in Madrid, Spain, in January 2025, with participation from high-level government representatives, African Ambassadors, Regional Economic Communities, and strategic partners.

Today’s Africa Segment launch operationalises the Programme at the continental level, with the signed Delegation Agreements enabling COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, and SADC to serve as implementing partners within their respective regions. _“This launch is more than a ceremonial milestone. It is a continental statement of intent.

It sends a clear message: Africa will no longer treat youth and women’s inclusion as an aspiration, but as an investment, a delivery agenda, and a measurable pathway to the Africa We Want. COYWA is built to scale and built to deliver through Africa’s Regional Economic Communities. Through the signing of Delegation Agreements, we formally signal readiness to move from preparation to delivery.

To our partners, this launch is an invitation to co-invest, to co-deliver, and to scale what works. And to Africa’s youth and women: COYWA is not a favour. It is recognition of a simple truth — Africa’s transformation will be driven by your talent, your innovation, and your leadership.

”_ **— H. E. Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, AUDA-NEPAD** The inaugural launch a year ago was hosted by the primary funding partner, Spain.

The 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, served as the strategic backdrop for COYWA’s Africa launch, which was held under the sub-theme “Accelerating Implementation of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan through Education and Skills, Entrepreneurship and Employment - The 3 Es,” reflecting the Programme’s direct contribution to the AU’s Agenda 2063 aspirations for inclusive growth, youth empowerment, gender equality, and sustainable development.

_“Spain’s partnership with AUDA-NEPAD through COYWA reflects our deep conviction that effective development cooperation must prioritise the economic empowerment of young people and women. The numbers are clear: Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship in the world, yet a US$42 billion funding gap holds women-led businesses back from reaching their full potential.

COYWA’s multiplier model, where graduates become facilitators who train hundreds more, is exactly the kind of sustainable, scalable investment that delivers measurable returns. We invest in 15 proven young entrepreneurs and they go on to train 225 more across three countries. That is a return on investment that any development partner should want to be part of.

”_ **— Mr. Antón Leis García, Director, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID)** The event was moderated by Mr. Symerre Grey-Johnson, Director of HCID at AUDA-NEPAD, and featured reflections from a distinguished high-level panel comprising H. E. Sahle-Work Zewde, former President of Ethiopia; H.

E. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Vice President of South Africa; and H. E.

Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of the Republic of Mauritius. _“Within the Human Capital and Institutional Development Directorate, our mandate is to translate political ambition into operational results.

We worked with the five Regional Economic Communities — COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS and SADC — to establish governance structures, conduct Technical and Organisational Capacity Assessments, and finalise grant and sub-delegation frameworks. These efforts have already yielded results: grant agreements with all RECs have been finalised and the first tranche has been disbursed. What distinguishes COYWA is accountability.

We will track participation, enterprise survival, access to finance and markets, and real improvements in income, dignity, and agency. Through this Africa Team approach, we are translating the aspirations of Agenda 2063 into tangible gains for African youth and women, households and businesses.

”_ **— Mr. Symerre Grey-Johnson, Director, Human Capital and Institutional Development (HCID), AUDA-NEPAD** ## Regional Ownership and Implementation The signing of Delegation Agreements with all five RECs signals a decisive shift from commitment to coordinated implementation.

Representatives from COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, and SADC participated in the ceremony, affirming their readiness to serve as delivery partners for COYWA within their respective regions. _“As a Regional Economic Community, our role is to ensure that continental programmes are tailored to the realities and labour market demands of our Member States.

COYWA provides a framework that allows us to do exactly that: delivering entrepreneurship training, digital and financial literacy, and business development support to young people and women-led enterprises in ways that respond to regional economic needs. The Cohort 1 graduates from our region have already demonstrated what is possible.

We are fully committed to this partnership and to ensuring that Cohort 2 reaches the young entrepreneurs who need it most. ”_ **— H. E Mr. Elias M Magosi, SADC Executive Secretary** ## From Graduates to Facilitators: The COYWA Masterclass The Africa Segment launch follows the successful completion of the COYWA Mentor-Facilitation Co-Creation Masterclass, held on 12 February 2026 in Addis Ababa as a pre-Summit event.

The Masterclass convened the top 15 distinction graduates of COYWA Cohort 1, representing 12 African countries and five RECs - from COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, and SADC - for an intensive Training of Trainers programme designed to equip them as mentor-facilitators for COYWA Cohort 2.

All 15 graduates have founded or co-founded enterprises spanning agritech, drone technology, creative industries, trade governance, digital innovation, and reproductive health. _“In South Sudan, young people face some of the most challenging conditions for accessing sexual and reproductive health services from anywhere on the continent.

That is why I founded ReproHealth: to ensure that young women and girls in my country have access to the information and services they need to stay healthy, stay in school, and participate in the economy. COYWA understood from the very beginning that health and economic empowerment are inseparable. You cannot build a young entrepreneur if she does not have access to the health services that allow her to plan her future.

The Masterclass has equipped me with skills to better build my company and carry this business message further as a facilitator for Cohort 2, and I intend to make sure that every young person I train understands that their communities’ reproductive health is the foundation of their economic agency.

”_ **— Rachel Hakim, Founder, ReproHealth (South Sudan), COYWA Cohort 1 Graduate and 2026 Masterclass Participant** The top 15 youth will deliver Cohort 2 training to an additional 225 young people across Cabo Verde, Rwanda, and Zambia through a blended model combining six weeks of virtual instruction with five-day in-person intensives.

This Training of Trainers approach reflects AUDA-NEPAD’s commitment to sustainable, scalable, and Africa-led capacity building: investing in proven young entrepreneurs who then cascade skills, knowledge, and opportunity to the next generation.