As Africa continues to grow on its path towards digital development, the youth must be seen not just as users of technology, but as pathfinders and drivers of innovation. During the session, "Linking Africa: Youth Innovation for Universal and Meaningful Connectivity," young innovators, policymakers, and other stakeholders come together to critically examine how young people can be at the forefront of universal access and meaningful connectivity on the continent.

Though the digital divide remains a significant barrier, access to the internet is insufficient. During this session, the necessity of constructing an empowering, inclusive, and sustainable digital landscape will be highlighted—one in which African youths are empowered with the tools, competencies, and opportunities to thrive online. Beyond infrastructure, focus will be on the potential of youth-led initiatives to shape the future of digital equity in the domains of content creation, digital literacy, policy-making, and business innovation.

Organized by Pan African Youth Ambassadors for Internet Governance (PAYAIG), the session will bring out the effort of youths' initiatives throughout the continent in digital advocacy, e-learning innovation, and community-based connectivity technologies.

The main areas of theme to be addressed include:

Policy Inclusion: Most effective mobilization of youths' participation in national and regional internet policy formulation.

Digital Literacy & Capacity Building: Empowering young people to have the knowledge and skills to move around in the digital environment safely, imaginatively, and effectively.

Local Content & Language Inclusion: Encouraging indigenous language content creation and context-appropriate digital content.

Gender and Marginalized Youth Empowerment: Bridging the digital divides for young women, rural youth, and marginalized youth, including refugees.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Enabling youth-driven digital startups and social enterprises that address local challenges and opportunities.

In this session, the ways and means through which Agenda 2063, the Global Digital Compact, and the African Union Digital Transformation Strategy can be harmonized with youth priorities will also be explored. Through collaboration and innovation, the participants will go through collective working to co-design implementable solutions that enable cross-border collaborations, inclusive growth, and scalable digital initiatives.

By the end of this session, the hope is to have an Africa where "digital access" is a right that all know about, and young people are not passive recipients but active agents in the shaping of the digital future of the continent.