Application Deadline: 7 July 2026
Call for Applications: ACET Youth Policy Lab 2026 for Young Africans
From Coordination to Commercialization: Youth, Innovation & Growth. Be part of a continent-wide challenge where young Africans step into the shoes of policymakers.
Background and Rationale
Africa stands at a critical turning point. Across the continent, young people continue to face rising unemployment, weak school-to-work transitions, limited access to financing, fragile public institutions, and innovation systems that struggle to convert ideas into jobs and industries. Yet Africa’s youth remains its greatest strategic asset.
While governments, donors, and development institutions continue to invest in youth employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiatives, many of these efforts remain fragmented, poorly coordinated, and disconnected from the realities of implementation. Young people are often consulted symbolically rather than meaningfully engaged in the design of policies that directly affect their futures.
The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) established the ACET Youth Policy Lab (AYPL) to address this gap by creating a practical platform where young Africans can directly engage with the realities of policymaking, economic transformation, and governance
What is it?
The ACET Youth Policy Lab is a policy innovation challenge that combines elements of a hackathon, governance simulation, leadership accelerator, and policy design lab. Unlike traditional youth competitions that focus only on ideation, the AYPL places participants inside realistic political, fiscal, and institutional environments where they must make difficult trade-offs, manage competing interests, and design solutions that are both ambitious and
implementable.
This is not just a hackathon or essay competition. It is a leadership simulation where selected youth become national policy designers, working in teams to develop policy solutions to urgent challenges facing African nations from youth unemployment to civic trust, climate, education, and health.
The ACET Youth Policy Lab is a dynamic platform designed to empower young Africans to engage directly in policymaking by simulating real-world governance challenges. Blending the creativity of a hackathon with the rigor of policy design, the Lab invites participants aged 18 to 35 to step into the role of national decision-makers, crafting practical, evidence-based solutions to pressing development issues.
Through mentorship, teamwork, and a continent-wide digital campaign, the Policy Lab builds critical skills in policy analysis, innovation, and leadership—amplifying youth voices in spaces where they are often underrepresented. More than just an idea competition, it is a transformative learning experience that prepares Africa’s next generation of leaders to shape inclusive and sustainable futures.
The 2026 Challenge Theme
The 2026 edition introduces a more advanced simulation centered on the intersection of youth employment, innovation systems, commercialization, and state capability. Participants will assume the role of the leadership team of the fictional National Youth Transformation Authority (NYTA), a newly established government institution created to coordinate youth employment, innovation, skills development, and commercialization efforts within a fiscally
constrained economy
How it works
Step into the role of a policy maker through a guided journey of learning, pitching, and impact.
Apply
June 15 to July 7 2026
Teams formed
6 teams of 5
Mentorship & coaching
September 2026
Pitch your idea
November 4, 2026
Winners announced
Top teams featured and rewarded
YES Ambassador Program
Join a regional youth network
Who can apply?
Young Africans interested in building critical skills in policy analysis, innovation, and leadership in spaces where young Africans are often underrepresented.
The deadline to apply is July 7th 2026
Eligibility criteria
- Ages 18–35
- Citizen of African Countries
Key dates
Keep track of the important dates for each stage of the Youth Policy Lab journey.
- Applications Open 15 Jun – 7 Jul 2026
- Teams Shortlisting 8 Jul – 31 Jul 2026
- Teams Interview 1 Aug – 31 Aug 2026
- Teams Onboarding 1 Sep – 18 Sep 2026
- Coaching Period 21 Sep – 16 Oct 2026
- Virtual Pitch Event 4 Nov 2026
VISIT THE PAGE HERE AND APPLY
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