More than a thousand of you answered the call!

Spaces for Youth - Call for Projects - closed on 7 August 2026

September 2026 - We were hoping for a strong response. You did far better than that: 1,194 youth organisationssubmitted applications across the 18 countries covered by the Call for Projects launched in July by the Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA).

To everyone who applied, shared the call, joined an information session, or supported a youth organisation all the way to submission: a huge THANK YOU!

The response in numbers

From West Africa to East, Central and Southern Africa, the response was remarkable. 

A total of 615 applications were received across the seven countries supported by Ghiyada Africa, and 579 across the eleven countries supported by The Youth Café.

Behind these numbers, every application represents an initiative to create or strengthen a Space for Youth where young people can come together, learn, develop their leadership and grow their projects.

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Selection is underway

The 1,194 applications* are now being evaluated. At the end of the selection process, 50 youth organisations will be selected, with an indicative target of 2 to 3 youth organisations per country.

Each selected organisation will receive a €10,000 grant to develop its Space for Youth project. But the support will not stop there: over several months, selected organisations will also take part in a structured capacity-building programme delivered by Campus AFD, complemented by organisational support and tailored coaching provided by Ghiyada Africa and The Youth Café, as well as networking and peer-learning opportunities.

Among them, 10 youth organisations will then move on to a second round, receiving an additional €40,000 grant and tailored technical assistance to take their initiative further.

One Academy, different ways of supporting young people

The Africa-Europe Youth Academy supports both the organisations that create spaces where young people can develop their leadership potential and take action, and initiatives that work directly with young leaders.

The " Spaces for Youth " Call for Projects supports organisations that create or strengthen spaces by and for young people. The New Leaders Lab, meanwhile, supports leadership training programmes for young people aged 18 to 30.

Different approaches, serving the same goal: strengthening youth leadership and building stronger links between Africa and Europe.

The 50 selected youth organisations will be announced soon.

Stay tuned - this is where we will introduce them!

The Africa-Europe Youth Academy is an initiative funded by the European Union under Global Gateway.

*Breakdown of the 1,194 applications by operator and country: Ghiyada (615) - Benin 135, Côte d'Ivoire 66, Ghana 98, Guinea 56, Mauritania 101, Senegal 75, Togo 84. The Youth Café (579) - Kenya 146, DR Congo 92, Rwanda 47, Uganda 62, Cameroon 54, Tanzania 49, Republic of Congo 16, Zambia 20, Malawi 31, Mozambique 27, Ethiopia 35.