East Africa Launches Youth Climate Coalition for Thousands

Thousands of young people across Eastern Africa are getting a new platform to turn their climate innovations into real change.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) just launched a regional youth coalition designed to unite climate innovators, connect them with funding, and amplify their voices in policy decisions. The initiative starts with 30 youth representatives from member countries but plans to expand rapidly through competitive membership open to anyone aged 18 to 35 working on climate and agriculture solutions.

Charity Mumbua, a Food Security Specialist at IGAD's Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, says the goal is simple: consolidate scattered efforts into a coordinated regional force. "Young people have strong ideas, but scaling them remains a challenge due to limited resources," she explained at the launch in Nairobi.

The coalition has already secured $1.1 million from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, with $500,000 distributed so far using a milestone-based funding model. Beyond money, participants gain access to mentorship, business development support, and connections with investors and policymakers who can help small projects become impactful enterprises.

Entry into the coalition will be competitive, with selection based on the strength and real-world impact of applicants' solutions. The focus is on innovations that address climate-resilient agriculture, a critical need for a region heavily dependent on rain-fed farming and increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks.

The Ripple Effect

By bringing youth voices together at a regional level, the coalition gives young innovators a seat at decision-making tables they've traditionally been locked out of. Mumbua emphasized that youth perspectives rarely shape the policies affecting them, despite their frontline work on climate challenges.

The initiative's reach extends far beyond its initial 30 members. Each representative already leads networks and national youth councils in their home countries, creating natural pathways to engage thousands more young people across the region.

As climate impacts intensify across Eastern Africa, this coalition offers a blueprint for turning individual innovation into collective power.