Young Scholars Workshop on Youth Innovativeness for Sustainable Development through Cooperative Solutions

Young people constitute a significant proportion of Africa’s population and represent a critical force for innovation, social transformation, and sustainable development. Despite this demographic advantage, many African youths remain underrepresented in key spaces where development priorities are defined and decisions are made. This exclusion is evident in areas such as legal and policy formulation, cooperative governance, economic planning, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation, where youth perspectives could significantly enrich solutions but remain insufficiently integrated.

At the same time, Africa faces persistent development challenges including youth unemployment, financial exclusion, climate vulnerability, weak value chains, and limited access to innovation ecosystems. These challenges require inclusive and forward-looking approaches that combine local knowledge, research, and practical innovation.

Cooperatives have long been recognized as people-centred enterprises that promote economic participation, democratic governance, social inclusion, and community resilience. Increasingly, they are being acknowledged as effective vehicles for achieving sustainable development outcomes, particularly when aligned with innovation and youth participation.

In this context, the Cooperative Working Group proposes a two-day Young Scholars Workshop to be held alongside the MoCU–CUK Joint International Conference 2026. The workshop will provide a structured platform for postgraduate students, early-career researchers, young professionals, and cooperative practitioners to engage in dialogue, share research, and explore how youth-led innovativeness can generate cooperative solutions for sustainable development.