Lusimadio S Simao

The Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on AfCFTA is a youth-led body initiated by young people from the continent of Africa, under guidance and stewardship of Youlead Africa, the MS TCDC and the GIZ-African Union office. Following a one week continental boot camp for young business leaders and policy makers on AfCFTA whose participants proceeded to take part in the Youlead summit, it was realized that, to ensure proper coordination and mobilization of the young people at a continental level to learn more about and actively participate in AfCFTA processes, there needs to be a youth led coordination structure to be known as the *Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on AfCFTA* and it will have Country Chapters, allowing effective bottom-up approaches to mobilisation for participation of young people. The Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on AfCFTA was officially launched on the 9th November 2021 by H.E Jakaya Kikwete Former President of the Republic of Tanzania, in the presence of the AfCFTA Secretariat Officials during the Youlead 2021 Africa Summit.