Over the past decade, Africa has made significant progress in creating opportunities for young people to participate in Internet governance through Youth IGFs, fellowships, schools on Internet governance, national and regional initiatives, and multi stakeholder forums. As a result, a new generation of young leaders is contributing fresh perspectives to conversations on Africa's digital future.

Yet for many young people, the journey into digital governance can still feel difficult to navigate. Language differences, limited access to established networks, varying levels of institutional familiarity, and unequal access to mentorship can make sustained participation challenging, particularly for those joining from underrepresented regions or communities. At the same time, many experienced leaders are actively investing in mentoring the next generation, creating an opportunity to strengthen collaboration across generations rather than viewing leadership as something that is simply passed from one group to another.

This interactive session asks: How can Africa build more intentional, inclusive, and sustainable pathways that enable young people not only to participate in digital governance discussions, but also to grow into long term contributors and leaders?

The discussion will bring together youth leaders, experienced Internet governance practitioners, policymakers, civil society, academia and the technical community to explore practical approaches for strengthening mentorship, expanding multilingual participation, improving regional inclusion, encouraging peer-to-peer learning, and supporting meaningful collaboration across generations. The session will also highlight inspiring examples of young Africans who have built cross-border communities, collaborated beyond language barriers, and created new spaces for participation and innovation.

Rather than focusing only on the barriers, the session will showcase solutions that are already emerging across the continent and explore how they can be strengthened through multi stakeholder cooperation. Participants will collaboratively identify practical recommendations for building more accessible and sustainable pathways into African digital governance, ensuring that the continent continues to benefit from both institutional experience and the creativity, energy, and leadership of its young people.