Twenty-one girls from five African countries have been selected to serve as Girl Leaders for the African Girls’ Assembly 2026, bringing together young leaders from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Gambia to form a cross-border community focused on girls’ leadership, equality and participation.
The selected girls will join the African Girls’ Assembly alongside a wider network of over 90 Girl Champions, creating a growing community of young African girls connected by a shared interest in leadership, advocacy and creating opportunities for girls.
Joy Aderele, Convener of the African Girls’ Assembly, announced the 2026 Girl Leaders following the organisation’s call for applications to girls aged 14–19 across Africa.
The selection marks the next stage of an initiative designed to give girls a more active role in conversations and programmes concerning their lives and futures.
Rather than limiting girls’ participation to attending events or benefiting from programmes, the Girl Leaders will have opportunities to contribute ideas, connect with peers across countries, develop leadership and advocacy skills, and participate in the planning and delivery of activities connected to the Assembly.
For Aderele, building a community that crosses national borders is central to creating stronger platforms for girls to learn from one another and make their voices heard.
“21 girls. 5 countries. One powerful community,” Aderele said in announcing the cohort.
The 2026 Girl Leaders bring together girls with different backgrounds and experiences from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Gambia, creating a continental platform for learning, connection and collaboration.
Their selection also adds to the Assembly’s growing network of over 90 Girl Champions, an expanding community through which girls can connect, exchange ideas and access opportunities for learning and leadership.
The development comes against a broader challenge facing many youth-focused programmes across Africa: young people are often the intended beneficiaries of interventions, but opportunities for them to meaningfully influence the design and conversations around those interventions can be limited.
The African Girls’ Assembly is seeking to create a different model by giving girls an active role in the platform itself and creating opportunities for them to contribute to conversations about issues affecting girls across the continent.
The Girl Leaders will come together with other participants at the African Girls’ Assembly 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria, on October 10. The gathering will provide a space for connection, learning, leadership development and conversations around the experiences and aspirations of African girls.
The selection marks a new chapter for the African Girls’ Assembly as it continues to build a community that extends beyond a single event — connecting girls across borders and creating opportunities for them to learn from one another, contribute their perspectives and develop as leaders.
