The Global Youth Forum- A UN-HLPF Side Event 2026

On July 13, 2026, in New York, the AYVI Network made its debut on the global stage, four years after a dedicated team began working with ambitious young Nigerians who lacked a clear leadership pathway. On that Monday, during a side event at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, the Global Youth Forum was launched. This event also marked the introduction of the African Youth Leadership Fund (AYLF), a new funding mechanism designed to direct capital toward youth-led development initiatives across Africa.

The event, titled The Global Youth Forum, brought together speakers and moderators from government, technology, finance, and civil society for an afternoon of panel discussions, keynote addresses, and the formal launch of both the Network and the Fund.

Fig 1.0 Carolyn Wokoh, founder of AYVI (center), is seen with her team and panelists at the UN-HLPF 2026 Side Event.

Four Years in the Making

AYVI Network Founder Carolyn Wokoh opened the day by tracing the organization's roots back to December 2021, when the Advancing Youth Voice Initiative began working in communities across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. What started as ground-level programming in digital skills training, leadership development, and civic engagement has since reached more than 2,300 young Nigerians annually across 36 states, built around a five-level Growth Cadre pathway from Volunteer, Supporter, Leader, Supervisor to Manager.

Wokoh told the audience, "The future of Africa won't be dictated to young people; it will be shaped alongside them."

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Fig 2.0 Dumebi Anetoh describes how he used AI in the Growth Cadre Pathway he participated in four years ago at age 19.

Three Conversations, One Throughline

The afternoon's program was structured around three panel discussions, each tied to a pillar of the AYVI model:

Digital Innovation for Africa's Economic Transformation, moderated by Jibran Ahmed of the World Economic Forum, featured Richard Osei-Anim, Hugh Anetoh, and James Reinhold discussing what it actually takes, institutionally, to scale digital infrastructure across the continent.

Youth-Led Solutions for Sustainable Development, moderated by Faris Alami of International Strategic Management and Connecting Dots Globally, featured Achumboro Ataande, Ebaide Omiunu, and Rashaun Banjo on entrepreneurship education, SDG communication, and the resilience work that leadership pipelines often overlook.

Strategic Partnerships for Inclusive Growth, moderated by Hector Molina-Casillas of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, featured Charles T. Brown, Lorenzo Daughtry-Chambers, and Ibrahima S. Souare on how capital, policy, and community trust intersect when partnerships are built to last.

Fig 3.0 A cross-section of the participants

The Global Introduction of AYVI Network and AYLF

The centerpiece of the afternoon was the formal, simultaneous launch of the AYVI Network and the African Youth Leadership Fund. Three keynote addresses anchored the moment. Carolyn Wokoh reiterated the scale of what has already been built and laid out the case for the AYLF as financing infrastructure, not charity. Richard Osei-Anim spoke about what it takes to build digital capacity at a continental scale. And Damilola Ogunseye, Chairman of the International Airlines Association of Nigeria and an Honorary Member of the AYVI Network, closed the segment with a direct message to the private sector.

"The African Youth Leadership Fund is not asking the private sector for goodwill," Ogunseye said. "It is offering the private sector infrastructure."

The AYLF itself is structured around four tiers of engagement: Founding Partners who anchor the Fund at launch, Programmatic Partners who co-fund specific country or thematic work, Endorsement and Advisory Partners who lend institutional credibility, and Network Partners who activate the Fund within their own ecosystems.

A Model for What Partnership Looks Like

Faris Alami closed the formal program with Partner Remarks that doubled as a case study in what real partnership looks like in practice. Rather than describing AYVI from the outside, Alami walked through his own five-part relationship with the organization, spanning keynote participation, co-sponsoring events, collaborating on curriculum, introducing investors on behalf of the AYLF, and distributing media through Connecting Dots Globally's network.

Daniel Black, a member of AYVI Network's executive leadership, delivered closing remarks.

What Comes Next

Monday's launch marks the beginning, not the conclusion, of the AYVI Network's next chapter. With the model expanding across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones, the nonprofit's focus now turns to scaling that model across the continent, supported by the capital infrastructure the AYLF is designed to provide.

Organizations and individuals interested in the AYLF's Founding, Programmatic, Endorsement, Advisory, or Network partnership tiers can reach the AYVI Network team at hello@advancingyouthvoice.org.

Fig 4.0 The AYVI Network members volunteering in a free eye screening project

The AYVI Network is a pan-African youth leadership nonprofit, born from the Advancing Youth Voice Initiative, founded in Nigeria in December 2021.