African youth take centre stage at Yale Conference
The fifth edition of the Yale Model African Union (YMAU) concluded successfully in Accra, bringing together over 300 delegates, policymakers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs from across Africa and the diaspora
The fifth edition of the Yale Model African Union (YMAU) concluded successfully in Accra, bringing together over 300 delegates, policymakers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs from across Africa and the diaspora for three days of dialogue, innovation, and collaboration.
The conference with the theme:” “Imagine, Challenge & Build the Africa We Want,” marked five years of fostering youth leadership and policy engagement across the continent.
It featured a robust programme including African Union committee simulations, leadership workshops, the Mandate-to-Market Innovation Pitch Contest, and a University and Career Fair.
A key highlight was the panel session “Designing the Future: Creativity at the Intersection of Policy and Enterprise,” which explored how innovation, policy design, and private sector leadership can work together to drive sustainable development and economic transformation.
Among the distinguished speakers was Dennis Sampong, Country Director of Fludor Ghana, a subsidiary of TGI Group.
Drawing on his extensive experience in Ghana’s agricultural sector, Mr. Sampong shared insights on the urgent need to integrate youth into the cocoa value chain and the importance of private sector participation in shaping policy outcomes.
Speaking to a room of young leaders and aspiring policymakers, Mr. Sampong emphasized the demographic imperative driving Africa’s development agenda.
“The future of Africa is the youth. If you look at Ghana, more than 60 percent of the population are under the age of 35. Anything we’re doing now is going to be the youth’s future,” he said.
“Nobody can do better for Africa except ourselves.”
He also highlighted the challenges facing Ghana’s cocoa sector, noting that the average farmer is between 55 and 60 years old, and stressed the need to attract young people into agriculture through modern technologies.
“If our farmers used to use cutlasses and holes to do cocoa, what other technologies can we bring in? As part of our training programs, we encourage young people to go into cocoa and use modern ways of going about their farming activities.” Sampong was joined on the panel by Audrey S-Darko (CEO, Sabon Sake), Jide Pratt (Country Pilot Manager, TradeGrid), and moderator Ericka K. Tenta (Co-Head of Panel Strategy, Yale Africa Startup Review).
The panel emphasized the importance of collaboration between policymakers, entrepreneurs, and private sector organizations in translating policy ideas into practical and scalable development solutions.
The Yale Model African Union also featured keynote addresses from Tara Squire, Executive Director for Consumer Banking at Ecobank Ghana, and Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amhere, Vice President of the Council on Foreign Affairs-Ghana. Other speakers included Hon. George Opare Addo, Ghana’s Minister of Youth Development and Engagement; Ambassador Rosemary Mbabzi of Rwanda; and Dr. Festus Kofi Aubyn of WANEP, among others.
Fludor Ghana’s participation was part of TGI Group’s broader presence at the conference as a sponsor and career fair exhibitor, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to supporting youth empowerment initiatives across Africa.
