The Rise of a Youth-Led Global Health Network
In March 2020, a group of students at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health presented an innovative idea for the International Working Group for Health System Strengthening (IWGHSS) as part of a competition. Their proposal was recognized as the best in the competition and later gained momentum through collaborations with various World Health Organization (WHO) regions and institutions.
Today, the IWGHSS has evolved into a youth-led global network dedicated to advancing equity and governance in health systems. The organization continues its mission of co-developing and creating a collective space where young people can reimagine how health systems can function more effectively.
“We define ourselves as a community of action,” said Dr Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo, Co-Executive Director of IWGHSS. “We convene emerging changemakers to catalyse efforts towards health system strengthening. Our mission is a world in which the next generation of changemakers are equipped to imagine and co-create equitable solutions for global health system strengthening. Our vision is a world where emerging voices are included.”
As part of its goal to become a leading global think tank and policy institute, IWGHSS has partnered with Africa CDC to ensure that young people in Africa have a meaningful role in global health governance. This collaboration includes involvement in the Africa CDC Youth Programme, particularly the Bingwa Plus initiative, where IWGHSS plays an active role.
During a webinar held as part of Africa CDC Youth Week, Buabeng-Baidoo emphasized the importance of creating youth-led policies and research that is driven by and for young people working in the health sector. She also highlighted the organization’s focus on advocacy and capacity strengthening through initiatives like webinars.
“However, we also speak critically to the fact that the Global South faces a major research gap,” she noted. “Much research is not conducted by researchers from the Global South or by young people themselves. The advent of artificial intelligence and digital health offers opportunities to close that gap.”
Buabeng-Baidoo added that one of their aims is to equip young people with the ability to use new technology to create cutting-edge research. Under the Africa CDC Bingwa Plus programme, the IWGHSS will lead a Youth and Global Health Governance Report, aiming to highlight the significant presence of young people in Africa and their limited representation in global health governance.
“The world’s population is over 30 per cent young people, 60 per cent in Africa, a number expected to rise to 75 per cent by 2030,” she explained. “Yet their presence in global health governance remains largely tokenistic, even though they are widely recognized as changemakers.”
A preliminary report is expected to be released within three months, drawing on publicly available data. The team will begin with a scoping review of existing literature and an analysis of youth engagement strategies, such as the Africa CDC Youth Engagement Strategy and the UN 2030 Youth Report, to identify synergies, gaps, and measurable impact.
Some of the indicators being developed include youth representation in staffing, the existence of youth advisory boards, youth engagement strategies, youth participation in policy decision-making, and institutional commitments to youth inclusion.
“We want to know: what is Africa CDC’s commitment to youth inclusion? What targets does the organisation aim to achieve, and how is it monitoring and evaluating progress?” she asked.
Dr Chrys Promesse Kaniki, Africa CDC Youth Lead, stated that the agency already has a strategy to engage young people, aligned with the Agenda 2063, the Africa CDC Strategic Plan, and the African Youth Charter, currently under review with the African Union Commission Youth Division.
“Young people are playing a crucial role in Africa’s public health, and it’s equally crucial to ensure that we include and meaningfully engage them,” said Dr Kaniki. He emphasized the importance of inclusive policy to integrate young people in all processes and ensure long-term success.
“Young people are more likely to leverage digital skills. They are tech-savvy, and we must ensure that from application to telemedicine, they are driving the digital transformation of healthcare delivery on the continent,” he added.
Ezinne Onwuekwe, an independent Digital Health Strategist, noted that policy and governance for youth remain critical gaps. “With the digital health evolution, many of us have taken courses and gained technical skills — coding, app development, creating solutions — but there is often a lack of grounding in policy frameworks, regulatory processes, and governance structures.”
She stressed that without policy, innovative solutions cannot be implemented effectively. Dr Kaniki echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that young people can identify problems in their communities and develop solutions. Africa CDC is creating a platform to support them, including mechanisms to mobilize resources and fund their innovations at the community level.
As Africa CDC strives to give youth a space at the table in global health governance, the continental health agency already has a Youth Advisory Team serving from 2023 to 2025 and looks forward to onboarding a new advisory team in November.