The Youth Day of Service (YDoS), an initiative of Africa’s foremost non-profit organization, LEAP Africa, recorded over 4000 volunteers collaborating to execute more than 1300 registered projects, representing all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across 34 African countries, at the just concluded campaign for 2023. The initiative, in commemoration of the annual United Nations International Youth Day on the 12th of August, was developed to harness the agency of African youths for the actualization of the SDGs by 2030.

A pivotal focus of the campaign is to promote the spirit of volunteerism and community service among pan-African youths, to further amplify the importance of active citizenship in the development of Africa. The youth-centered initiative, themed, “Youthful and Useful: The Road to 2030”, officially commenced on the 12th of August and ended on the 31st of August, 2023.

Speaking with the Executive Director of LEAP Africa, Kehinde Ayeni, she revealed that one of the impactful highlights of the Youth Day of Service 2023 was educating young Africans about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. She said, “This year, more youths participated in YDoS, executing SDG focused projects and educating members of their communities about the importance of the SDGs, and the exigency for sustainable impact in our communities. We also had more African countries like Madagascar and Mauritius come onboard this year’s Youth Day of Service, and they were beyond excited to join us. The Youth Day of Service will continue to create an enabling environment for youths across the continent to collaborate for the development of Africa.” She also emphasized the role strategic partners have played in scaling the campaign over the last four years.

According to the Director of Programmes for LEAP Africa, Amabelle Nwakanma, YDoS 2023 exceeded expectations and beyond a doubt, it was evident that African youths are ready to be a part of the change that they advocate for.

“This year’s Youth Day of Service took a different turn as we recorded an impressive turnout of volunteers across Africa. The pan-African reception YDoS received substantiated the charge that we must be the change we want to see in the world. African youths armed with the knowledge of the SDGs and its importance developed and executed impactful projects such as the Healthy Agriculture project in Cameroon, Youth For Climate project in Morocco, Save Our Planet project in Kenya, Adolescent Boot Camp in Monrovia Liberia, Social Media Awareness project in Nigeria, Girls Speak To Power project in Malawi, Accompagnment Entrepreuneurial project in Gabon, Job Readiness Tech Training project in Ethiopia, Ending  Period Poverty project in Zambia, Empowering Mtambo Village Through Solar Energy project in Malawi, and the LEAP Africa/ YDoS project where we planted 300 trees in Lagos state, Nigeria.

The Communications & PR Manager, LEAP Africa, Ellen Ukpi said the Youth Day of Service remains an exciting opportunity for young people across the continent, groups, and organizations to showcase their passion for driving positive change in Africa and she was thrilled about the warm reception that was recorded this year.

The Youth Day of Service since its inception in 2020 and has continued to galvanize young people across Africa towards the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals, creating a platform for them to effect sustainable change in their communities. This year, the campaign also featured Twitter space sessions with key LEAP Africa stakeholders – partners, youth influencers, change agents, and young people across the continent, all speaking to the importance of the actualization of the SDGs and sustainable development in Africa.