The 2025 Annual Global Convocation of the Young African Women Congress (YAWC) will take place in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, between Sunday, October 26 and Thursday, October 30, leadership has confirmed.

The announcement was contained in a statement signed by the Founder and Executive Chairperson of the Young African Women Congress (YAWC) Network, Daniel Osei Tuffuor, earlier today.

The theme for this year’s edition is, “EmpowerHer: Shaping the Digital Economy Through Women’s Leadership”

A non-profit organisation, the YAWC Network is a confederation of young women of African descent living in Africa and in the diaspora who seek to be empowered and be themselves, change-makers for leadership and development on the continent.

At the heart of its mandate, the Network indulges itself in the mobilisation of women from the grassroots level for leadership and development through advocacy, training and projects.

“Since its inception in 2016, the Network, through its annual global convocation, has impacted thousands of young women of African descent who are living in Africa and in the diaspora, equipping them with the requisite skills and training needed for them to be agents of change in their immediate communities to engender development and progress. This year, we are looking forward to doing same or even more”, Mr. Tuffuor noted in the statement.

Sharing his thoughts on the host city for this year’s edition, Mr. Osei Tuffuor said: “We are truly excited about the news - that this year’s edition will be held in the beautiful city of Kigali in Rwanda. We all know Rwanda and its potential. We have seen what they have done in the past and the direction they are going, especially in the areas advancing gender equality, equity and more importantly, Pan Africanism. We are excited and we believe it’s just a perfect development.”

Several hundreds of participants from across various countries on the African continent and the diaspora attending last year’s edition which was held in Abuja, the administrative capital of Nigeria, the stakes are high this year, with the YAWC leadership setting their eyes on a attendance of over 2,000 participants. 

Participants will be drawn from across multiple sectors including the banking and finance; petroleum and engineering, the civil society organizations; politics and governance; arts and entertainment; entrepreneurship and business; tech and innovation; academia among others.

This year’s edition will also provide a platform for young African women to chart a path for sustainable empowerment for all African women and girls, considering the diverse cultures and histories of African nations and the diaspora world.

It will feature renowned women leaders across Africa, Europe, America and Asia; business giants and officials from the UN Women and the African Union Commission as leaders of the conversation at the congress.

Other events that will be held on the side-lines of the congress include cultural night, fun trip, an award ceremony, gala dinner, etc. There is also an opportunity for other organisations and groups to host side events and pre-conference events.

The YAWC convocation is open to young women of Africa and the diaspora who wish to be a part of the biggest platform for women empowerment in Africa.

The platform promotes knowledge sharing and intellectual discourse and most importantly, engenders a strong sense of belonging which propels participants to become changemakers in their immediate environments with rippling effects on the continentand the world at large.