From job seekers to job creators: highlights from the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2025
On SDG 8, Africa's demographic future and AI as a workforce opportunity — an FKF delegate reports from the United Nations Headquarters.
From 15 to 17 April 2025, I had the chance to meet with young leaders from around the world gathered at the United Nations Headquarters as a Francis Koroma Foundation delegate. Under the theme “Youth at the Forefront: Leveraging Science and Social Inclusion for Sustainable Development,” the forum amplified the voices of youth in global development conversations.
Driving the 2030 Agenda. The forum served as a platform for meaningful engagement between youth delegates, UN member states and civil society organisations, with discussions focused on accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG 8 — decent work and economic growth — resonated with me most. As a young person with HR expertise and an entrepreneur, I appreciated the importance of decent work for all, especially if young people could be empowered and given fair opportunity in their fields of study. I learnt that Africa has the largest youth population under 30, and that by 2050 this number will rise by 73%. Empowering young people means they move from being job seekers to job creators — which resonates strongly with the Francis Koroma Foundation, where young people are empowered to be changemakers of the present, not just the future.
Side event: From Voices to Vision — Empowering African Youth to Drive Beyond Words. This was a heartfelt session focused on African youth. The panel featured UN Chief Editor Ben Dotsei Malor, with whom I was able to interact as he shared words of encouragement on how we should all rise over our circumstances as young people. He emphasised that youth must rise together by uplifting one another.
Side event: Empowering Africa's Workforce Through AI — Youth-Led Solutions for Gender Equality, Economic Growth, and Sustainable Development Partnerships. Organised by the Centre of Community Impact and Sustainability and the Hayes Initiative, the discussions highlighted how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, societies and governance. My key takeaway was that Africa is an asset for the global workforce, and should be empowered as one — starting with basic resources such as computers and reliable internet access, so that young Africans can keep pace with the rest of the globe.
What's next? The ECOSOC Youth Forum 2025 affirmed that youth are not future leaders — they are leaders now. Nothing about the youth should be decided for the youth without the youth. The conversations and commitments made during these three days are expected to feed into the High-Level Political Forum and other global platforms throughout the year.