Introduction
Ghiyada Africa is a nonprofit, community-based humanitarian and development organization headquartered in Lomé, Togo. Active since 2017, the organization reports having operational capacity across 15 African countries. Its work follows a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach that connects emergency assistance, human rights protection, peacebuilding, community resilience and sustainable development.
The word “Ghiyada” is derived from an Arabic term meaning leadership. The organization interprets Ghiyada Africa as “African Leadership,” reflecting its belief that Africa’s development should be driven by capable, responsible and socially committed African leaders.
Ghiyada Africa works with young people, women and girls, people with disabilities, community organizations, startups, civil society groups and vulnerable populations. Its activities include humanitarian assistance, leadership development, employability training, entrepreneurship, organizational incubation, gender equality, environmental protection and support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The organization is not primarily a conventional charitable foundation or permanent donor agency. However, its role has expanded to include grant administration. Under the Africa-Europe Youth Academy, Ghiyada Africa currently manages a competitive funding mechanism for youth organizations in seven West African countries.
History and Background
Ghiyada Africa began operating in 2017 as a youth-led social incubation and development organization in Togo. A profile published through the Youth for Youth Africa directory records a registration date of 1 February 2017 and identifies the organization as a nonprofit registered through Togo’s Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Local Authorities.
The same secondary profile identifies Brice Tchapnga as founder and president and Lamboni Sandrine as a co-founder. The current official website does not prominently publish detailed founder biographies, so this historical information should be treated as directory-reported rather than independently verified through the organization’s present governance pages.
Ghiyada Africa initially concentrated on social incubation, entrepreneurship, digital skills and youth leadership. A 2019 organizational profile reported that its early initiatives included computer and technology training for rural women and girls, incubation of social projects and organization of activities promoting women’s participation in digital development.
Over time, the organization expanded its mandate to cover humanitarian protection, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, education, food assistance, emergency relief and environmental protection. Its development activities also grew to include professional integration, organizational capacity building, social support and entrepreneurship.
Ghiyada Africa now describes itself as operating in 15 African countries. Its public activities show a particularly visible presence in Togo, the Comoros and several West African countries, while country representatives, volunteers and program committees support wider regional implementation.
Mission and Purpose
Ghiyada Africa’s mission is to support sustainable and inclusive community development by providing resources, training and opportunities adapted to the needs of individuals and local organizations.
The organization works with local stakeholders and international partners to improve living conditions, strengthen local capacity and promote equal access to economic, educational and social opportunities.
Its long-term vision is to build communities that can use their own strengths and resources to develop sustainably and independently. It seeks to ensure that people have access to dignity, support and opportunities without discrimination based on gender, origin, economic position or social status.
Humanitarian Mandate
Ghiyada Africa’s humanitarian mandate is to provide direct and lasting protection to people and communities exposed to violence, discrimination, exploitation and crisis.
Its humanitarian objectives include:
- Protecting the physical, legal and social security of vulnerable people.
- Responding to emergencies and natural disasters.
- Providing food, water, shelter and essential assistance.
- Supporting refugees and crisis-affected populations.
- Preventing sexual and gender-based violence.
- Supporting survivors of violence.
- Promoting access to justice and human rights.
- Strengthening the capacity of communities to prevent and respond to crises.
Development Mandate
Ghiyada Africa’s development model is organized around six main areas:
- Social and organizational incubation.
- Entrepreneurship development.
- Youth employment and professional integration.
- Organizational capacity building.
- Social support and income-generating activities.
- Advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The organization supports emerging NGOs, startups and social enterprises during their early stages. It helps them understand operational challenges, develop management systems and concentrate on the innovation or social objective that led to their creation.
Operational Principles
Ghiyada Africa identifies innovation, integration and impact as central elements of its operating strategy.
Its approach emphasizes:
- Adapting interventions to local conditions.
- Working closely with community stakeholders.
- Encouraging beneficiary participation.
- Building local skills and resilience.
- Monitoring and evaluating projects.
- Promoting equality and inclusion.
- Developing partnerships with public and private institutions.
- Producing sustainable change rather than short-term assistance.
Governance and Structure
Ghiyada Africa operates as a nonprofit association rather than a privately owned company or commercial enterprise. Its resources are intended to support humanitarian and development objectives rather than generate profits for shareholders.
A historical directory profile identifies a founder-president, co-founder and a small staff structure during the organization’s early years. More recent public information indicates that Ghiyada Africa has expanded its personnel and maintains staff, representatives, volunteers and program structures in several countries.
Its LinkedIn profile classifies it as a nonprofit organization with an estimated workforce of between 11 and 50 employees. Publicly listed personnel have included individuals working in administration, programming, coordination and regional representation.
The organization has also publicly identified country-level representatives, including a representative in Benin, while recruitment notices show program, finance, communication and public-relations roles in Togo and the Comoros.
Governance Transparency
The organization’s official website provides extensive information on its mission, intervention areas and program approach. However, the public pages reviewed do not provide a detailed governance chart, current board-member list, governing statutes, audited financial statements or recent annual reports.
Institutional donors and potential partners may therefore need to request:
- Current registration documents.
- Governing statutes.
- Board and executive leadership information.
- Safeguarding policies.
- Conflict-of-interest procedures.
- Audited financial statements.
- Procurement policies.
- Monitoring and evaluation reports.
- Anti-fraud and whistleblowing procedures.
The absence of these documents from the pages reviewed does not establish that the organization lacks them, but it limits independent public assessment of its governance and financial systems.
Funding and Grants
Ghiyada Africa’s historical funding model appears to have included founder contributions, partnerships, project grants, institutional funding, sponsorship and program-related support.
A 2019 directory profile identified personal contributions from the founders and donor support among its initial funding sources. More recent projects demonstrate the organization’s ability to secure or manage funding from international development partners, particularly the European Union and Expertise France.
Project-Based Funding
Ghiyada Africa generally appears to raise or receive funding for specific humanitarian, youth-development, entrepreneurship and employability programs.
Potential funding sources may include:
- Bilateral and multilateral development programs.
- European Union-funded initiatives.
- Government partnerships.
- International NGOs.
- Corporate sponsorship.
- Training and technical-service contracts.
- Donations and founder contributions.
- Program implementation agreements.
- In-kind contributions and volunteer support.
Publicly available information does not provide a consolidated annual budget or complete list of donors.
Africa-Europe Youth Academy Grants
In 2026, Ghiyada Africa was selected as an intermediary organization for the grant component of the Africa-Europe Youth Academy, known as AEYA.
The program is funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France in partnership with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Ghiyada Africa and SESG Future Ready Hub jointly manage the West African component.
The West African grant mechanism covers:
- Benin
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Mauritania
- Senegal
- Togo
In the first phase, 20 youth spaces are expected to receive grants of €10,000 each for projects lasting between six and 12 months. Approximately two or three projects may be supported in each eligible country.
Four high-performing organizations from the first phase may progress to a second phase and receive additional grants of up to €40,000 per project, along with technical support.
The funding supports youth organizations creating or strengthening safe and inclusive spaces where young people can:
- Develop leadership skills.
- Access mentorship and support services.
- Participate in civic initiatives.
- Build employability and entrepreneurial skills.
- Expand youth-led community projects.
- Strengthen their organizational capacity.
This program marks an important development in Ghiyada Africa’s institutional role. It is no longer acting only as a project implementer but also as a regional grant intermediary responsible for identifying, selecting and supporting youth organizations.
Research Grants
Ghiyada Africa does not publicly advertise a permanent program for independent academic or scientific research grants.
Research-related collaboration may arise through:
- Needs assessments.
- Baseline studies.
- Monitoring and evaluation.
- Gender research.
- Youth-employment analysis.
- Environmental assessments.
- Program-learning studies.
- Policy and advocacy research.
Universities and researchers seeking collaboration should approach Ghiyada Africa with applied research proposals directly related to its humanitarian, gender, youth, employment or sustainable-development programs.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Africa-Europe Youth Academy
AEYA is currently one of Ghiyada Africa’s most significant regional initiatives.
Through the West African grant component, the organization is responsible for supporting youth spaces across seven countries. The wider program aims to strengthen youth leadership, skills, civic participation and cooperation between African and European youth ecosystems.
Camp des Programmes de Leadership Africain
The Camp des Programmes de Leadership Africain, commonly known as CPLA, is a pan-African leadership-development program organized by Ghiyada Africa.
The initiative trains young people in areas such as:
- Business entrepreneurship.
- Civic leadership.
- Public management.
- Project development.
- Leadership and personal development.
- Social innovation.
- Sustainable development.
The program describes itself as contributing to the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 by developing a community of young African leaders. Its seventh edition was announced for 2026.
The CPLA project-pitch platform has showcased proposed initiatives in healthcare, youth employment, agriculture, digital services, environmental protection, social entrepreneurship and vulnerable-child support. Publication on the pitch platform does not necessarily mean that every listed project received financial support.
Youth Employability in the Comoros
Ghiyada Africa implemented professional-integration training in the Comoros under the European Union-funded Msomo Na Hazi initiative.
The program combined:
- Practical employability workshops.
- Curriculum vitae and application-letter training.
- Interview simulations.
- Personal development.
- Entrepreneurship education.
- Work placements and professional immersion.
The initiative was designed to help young graduates understand labour-market expectations, strengthen their professional confidence and develop pathways toward employment or entrepreneurship.
Women and Girls’ Empowerment
Ghiyada Africa promotes women’s economic and social empowerment through:
- Vocational education and training.
- Entrepreneurship support.
- Business-management education.
- Access to networks and potential microfinance.
- Safe spaces for women and girls.
- Support groups.
- Income-generating activities.
- Social and economic reintegration.
The organization’s approach connects women’s economic independence with protection from physical, economic and gender-based violence.
Gender-Based Violence Prevention
Ghiyada Africa works to prevent sexual and gender-based violence through community awareness, professional training and survivor support.
Its proposed interventions include:
- Public education campaigns.
- Engagement of men and boys.
- Training teachers, police officers, health workers and social workers.
- Detection and referral of violence cases.
- Psychological and material support.
- Social and economic reintegration for survivors.
- Advocacy for stronger gender-protection policies.
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Sexual and reproductive health is listed among Ghiyada Africa’s principal areas of intervention.
Its work may include education, awareness, access to information, community referral and advocacy related to the health and rights of women, girls and vulnerable populations.
Humanitarian Assistance
Ghiyada Africa’s humanitarian activities cover:
- Education for crisis-affected children.
- Identification of out-of-school children.
- Teacher training.
- Food-needs assessments.
- Food distribution and humanitarian logistics.
- Protection of refugees and vulnerable groups.
- Emergency assistance after disasters.
- Distribution of water, shelter, food and medical support.
Entrepreneurship and Incubation
The organization supports startups, NGOs, enterprises and social entrepreneurs through incubation, mentoring and capacity development.
Its entrepreneurship services include:
- Business guidance.
- Early-stage organizational support.
- Mentorship.
- Productivity improvement.
- Project design.
- Organizational coaching.
- Skills development.
- Support for income-generating activities.
Youth Employment and Professional Integration
Ghiyada Africa helps young job seekers develop practical and professional skills.
Its approach includes:
- Technical training.
- Employability workshops.
- Career preparation.
- Entrepreneurship education.
- Coaching.
- Internship and placement preparation.
- Connections with employers and public institutions.
Environmental Protection
Ghiyada Africa’s environmental work focuses on vulnerable communities and ecosystems affected by climate and environmental risks.
Its priorities include:
- Climate-change awareness.
- Protection of communities in coastal and disaster-prone areas.
- Sustainable natural-resource management.
- Environmental-risk reduction.
- Community resilience.
- Ecosystem protection.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
Employment Training for 150 Young People
One of Ghiyada Africa’s best-documented outcomes is its work under the Msomo Na Hazi program in the Comoros.
Media reports state that 150 young Comorians completed an intensive professional-integration program supported by the European Union. Participants received practical training in employment preparation, business development, interviews, personal development and workplace experience.
The program operated across Ngazidja, Ndzuani and Mwali. Participants reported learning how to prepare job applications, understand marketing concepts, develop projects and consider establishing their own businesses.
Early Digital-Inclusion Results
A 2019 Youth for Youth Africa profile reported that Ghiyada Africa had trained 3,695 rural women and girls in basic computer use and emerging technologies during its early years.
The profile also reported that the initiative contributed to the creation of more than 16 digital jobs and that the organization had incubated 20 social projects. These figures were self-reported by Ghiyada Africa and have not been independently verified through a published evaluation.
Girls in Information and Communication Technology
In 2018, Ghiyada Africa participated in activities connected to the International Girls in ICT Day in Togo.
The event brought together students for sessions on self-confidence, personal development, technology and the role of the internet in national development. It encouraged girls and young women to see technology as a tool for education, innovation and economic opportunity.
Regional Grantmaking Impact
Through AEYA, Ghiyada Africa is expected to help finance and strengthen 20 youth spaces during the first funding phase across seven West African countries.
Four of those initiatives may receive larger second-phase funding. Because the 2026 call is still being implemented, these numbers represent planned program outputs rather than completed impact results.
Leadership and Project Development
The CPLA program has created opportunities for young Africans to participate in leadership, entrepreneurship and public-management training.
Participants have presented projects covering:
- Youth employment centres.
- Health technology.
- Sustainable agriculture.
- Improved cooking technologies.
- Digital learning.
- Child protection.
- Small-business development.
- Environmental entrepreneurship.
- Civic participation.
Understanding the Impact Evidence
Ghiyada Africa’s public website explains its strategy and program areas but publishes limited consolidated impact data.
Some beneficiary figures are available through partner reports, news coverage and external directories. However, the public sources reviewed do not provide:
- A recent annual impact report.
- Audited beneficiary statistics.
- A complete list of funded projects.
- Long-term outcome evaluations.
- Consolidated gender and geographic data.
- Detailed financial information.
Impact figures should therefore be described as organization-reported or partner-reported unless supported by an independent evaluation.
Is Ghiyada Africa a Donor Organization?
Ghiyada Africa is primarily a humanitarian and development implementer, capacity-building organization and youth leadership platform.
Its main roles include:
- Implementing humanitarian and development projects.
- Training young people and community organizations.
- Supporting women, girls and vulnerable groups.
- Incubating startups and social initiatives.
- Managing partnerships.
- Providing mentoring and organizational support.
- Administering selected grant programs.
Its appointment as an AEYA intermediary means that it now has a formal grantmaking role for a specific European Union-funded program. This does not make Ghiyada Africa a permanent general-purpose foundation or unrestricted donor.
Organizations seeking funding should apply only when Ghiyada Africa publishes a formal call with clear eligibility requirements, thematic priorities, funding amounts and application procedures.
Conclusion
Ghiyada Africa is a youth-oriented humanitarian and development organization that has grown from a Togolese social-incubation initiative into a nonprofit with activities and partnerships across Africa.
Since 2017, its work has expanded to include humanitarian relief, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence prevention, youth employment, entrepreneurship, leadership development, environmental protection and community resilience.
Its major initiatives include the Camp des Programmes de Leadership Africain, professional-integration programs in the Comoros and the West African grant component of the Africa-Europe Youth Academy.
Ghiyada Africa is not a traditional private foundation or permanent research donor. However, its selection to manage AEYA grants demonstrates an expanding role in regional youth funding and institutional development.
Its combination of community programming, capacity building, entrepreneurship support and grant administration makes it potentially relevant to development agencies, foundations, governments, companies and civil society organizations seeking an operational partner in youth empowerment and sustainable development across Africa.
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