BY: CLARA MLANO
Over 1,300 children from across Africa will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 2025 African Children’s Summit, taking place from April 4-7, 2025, at Roedean Senior High and St. John’s College Parktown.
This pivotal event will convene young minds to discuss pressing challenges affecting their well-being, promote their rights, and amplify their voices in governance. The summit will also review progress on previous recommendations and forge actionable solutions for a brighter future.
The bi-centennial African Children’s Summit is proudly hosted by the South African government, led by the Department of Social Development (DSD), in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
This year’s event, themed “Seen, Heard, Engaged,” will bring together 300 children in person at Roedean Senior School and St John’s College in Johannesburg, while an additional 1,000 young participants will join virtually.
Building on the success of the inaugural summit in Nairobi, Kenya (April 10-13, 2023), which united over 300 children from across Africa, the Johannesburg Summit promises to amplify the voices and perspectives of Africa’s youngest citizens.
The child-led conference represents a pivotal milestone in amplifying African children’s voices in policy-making and decision-making processes. Building on the momentum of the Nairobi Summit, this conference reaffirms the importance of placing children at the forefront of matters that impact their lives.
This platform champions meaningful child participation, drawing on frameworks such as the African Union’s Agenda 2040 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Key priorities include addressing gender-based violence, fostering intergenerational collaboration, and ensuring inclusive participation for children with disabilities and those from marginalized communities.
The African Children’s Summit is a pioneering platform designed to empower children as advocates for their rights, leaders in discussions about their lives, and architects of policy recommendations for governments, civil society organizations, and international bodies. Through its innovative approach to child-led advocacy and intergenerational dialogue, the 2025 summit promises to be a transformative catalyst for building an equitable and inclusive Africa where children are truly “seen, heard, and engaged.”
The African Children’s Summit 2025 will provide a critical opportunity for South Africa and the continent to reflect on progress made in protecting the rights and well-being of Africa’s children, while charting a forward-thinking agenda for their future.
Since gaining freedom in 1994, South Africa has made notable progress in protecting and promoting children’s rights, marked by key milestones such as the enactment of the Children’s Act and the Child Justice Act, as well as the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
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