The Africa Children’s Summit 2025, a child-led event hosted by the South African Government, led by the Department of Social Development in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund ends today in Johannesburg.
The Summit has brought together young leaders in person from across Africa and hundreds joined virtually. The children who attended in person are from: South Africa, South Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Uganda was represented by Nassanga Sanita, Zawedde Shanita, Twalo Precious Faith and Garrison Kasaija
Above: Shanita Nassanga speaks at the Child-led conference in South Africa.
The Summit is child-led and child-centred with its chairperson and programme facilitators all drawn from children invited to the Summit. Under the theme “Seen, Heard, and Engaged in Education,” the children have boldly taken centre stage to address critical issues affecting their lives, from education access to violence prevention, proving that they are not just future leaders but active changemakers today.
One of the child leaders, 17-year-old Ison Cumbane from Mozambique, captured the spirit of the summit when he said: “Many children don’t have the opportunity to speak about their rights. We are here to give voice to them and show that we can participate and influence decisions.”
The Summit culminates with an Outcome Statement, crafted by children and this will be handed over to the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Child and other key policymakers. The statement outlines actionable recommendations for governments and civil society to implement policies that prioritise children’s voices and rights across Africa.
