WAFRIC Awards 2026 Nominee Spotlight | Youth Leader of the Year | Sierra Leone
Youth leadership is more than occupying a position or speaking on behalf of a generation. It involves creating opportunities for young people to develop their abilities, participate in decisions that affect them and contribute to the communities around them.
For Sierra Leonean youth advocate Sheku Foryoh, this work has centred on advocacy, leadership development, child protection and civic participation. Through the Youth and Children’s Advocacy Panel (YACAP), national youth leadership initiatives and civic engagement programmes, he has worked to create platforms through which young people can become active participants in national development.
His journey places him among the nominees for Youth Leader of the Year at the West African Citizens Awards 2026, representing Sierra Leone.
The Foundation of Youth Advocacy
Foryoh’s work in youth development is closely associated with the establishment of the Youth and Children’s Advocacy Panel, commonly known as YACAP.
Founded in 2015, according to published reports, the organisation focuses on youth and child advocacy, leadership development, mentorship and opportunities for young people to understand their rights and participate in community development.
The organisation’s approach reflects an understanding that young people need more than encouragement. They also need access to information, practical skills, supportive networks and platforms where their perspectives can reach decision-makers.
Through YACAP, Foryoh has been associated with initiatives intended to strengthen youth participation and encourage young people to take an active role in addressing issues affecting their communities.
Creating Spaces for Young People to Lead
One of the notable initiatives associated with Foryoh’s work is the National Youth Leadership Summit, which began in 2018.
The summit provides a platform for young people to engage with national issues, exchange ideas and discuss practical approaches to challenges facing their generation.
At the 2020 edition, reported by Salone Times, participants engaged in a parliamentary-style session that allowed young people to debate issues including health, youth policy, drug abuse and the challenges affecting young people involved in gangs.
The event also brought together representatives from public institutions and development organisations, including the National Youth Commission, Restless Development and Defence for Children.
The summit’s importance lies in its effort to move youth engagement beyond general discussions. By introducing debate, policy conversations and interaction with institutional representatives, it creates opportunities for young people to practise leadership and engage with the structures responsible for national development.
Youth Participation and Civic Engagement
Foryoh’s advocacy has also been connected to wider civic participation initiatives.
His professional profile identifies involvement with U-Report Sierra Leone, a UNICEF-supported platform that enables young people to express their views on issues affecting their lives through digital engagement and public opinion polling.
Platforms of this kind can help bridge the distance between young citizens and institutions. They provide channels through which young people can share experiences, respond to questions and contribute perspectives that may inform public discussions.
His profile also identifies involvement with United 4 Salone, a civic initiative focused on national unity, peace-building and citizen participation.
These activities reflect a recurring theme in his work: young people should not be treated simply as beneficiaries of development programmes, but as contributors to the conversations and decisions shaping their country.
Connecting Local Advocacy with Wider Development Networks
Youth development increasingly requires collaboration across organisations, institutions and national borders.
Foryoh’s public professional profile also identifies his engagement with Restless Development, an organisation that works with young people and youth-led initiatives in different parts of the world.
His listed affiliations and activities suggest an interest in connecting grassroots youth advocacy in Sierra Leone with broader conversations around leadership, governance and sustainable development.
This wider perspective matters because the challenges facing young people often extend beyond individual communities. Issues such as unemployment, access to education, digital inclusion and meaningful participation in governance require collaboration between young people, civil society organisations and public institutions.
By working across advocacy and civic engagement spaces, Foryoh’s career reflects the importance of building connections between community-level initiatives and wider development conversations.
Youth Leadership as a Responsibility
A defining idea behind Foryoh’s advocacy is the importance of recognising young people as active participants in society today.
Youth leadership is often discussed in terms of preparing the next generation for the future. However, meaningful participation also requires giving young people opportunities to contribute in the present: through education, community initiatives, policy discussions, mentorship and civic engagement.
The initiatives associated with Foryoh’s work speak to this understanding. From youth leadership summits to advocacy platforms, the emphasis has been on creating spaces where young people can develop confidence, strengthen their abilities and engage with issues affecting their communities.
His public career also includes political engagement, which forms part of his broader civic profile. That dimension is distinct from his youth-development work and does not define the full scope of his advocacy.
Why Sheku Foryoh Is Nominated for WAFRIC Awards 2026
The West African Citizens Awards recognises individuals whose contributions deserve acknowledgement across the region. Foryoh’s nomination for Youth Leader of the Year, representing Sierra Leone, highlights his involvement in youth advocacy, leadership development and civic participation.
His association with YACAP, the National Youth Leadership Summit and wider youth engagement initiatives demonstrates the importance of creating platforms through which young people can develop their voices and participate in national conversations.
His journey also raises an important point about leadership: empowering young people is not simply about giving them titles. It is about building opportunities, encouraging responsibility and ensuring that their contributions can be heard.
As WAFRIC Awards 2026 celebrates exceptional West Africans across different fields, Sheku Foryoh represents Sierra Leone in a category that recognises the value of investing in young people and strengthening their role in society.
Support Sheku Foryoh at WAFRIC Awards 2026
Sheku Foryoh is nominated for Youth Leader of the Year, representing Sierra Leone, at the West African Citizens Awards 2026.
This edition carries the theme:
Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.
Support the nominee and participate in the official public voting process.
Vote here: https://wafricawards.com.ng/official-public-voting/
Read the voting procedures and criteria: https://wafricawards.com.ng/wafric-awards-2026-voting-procedures-and-criteria/
Public voting closes on 15 November 2026. Public votes contribute to the process but do not solely determine the winners. Final assessments also consider achievements, contributions and impact in accordance with the published criteria.
West African Citizens Awards 2026 — Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.
Research Sources
- Sheku Foryoh — Official professional profile
- Salone Times — YACAP concludes 2020 National Youth Leadership Summit
- Youth Led Movement Sierra Leone — Team profile
- African Union — Sauti Oyé 2020 publication
- Apex News — Sheku Foryoh nominated for WAFRIC Awards 2026
Editorial note: Some leadership positions and impact figures on Foryoh’s professional website are self-reported. Numerical impact claims have not been presented as independently verified.