The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) proudly announces a call for the 2026 Africa Young Graduates and Scholars (AYGS) Conference. The 2026 conference marks an important milestone, its 20th anniversary. For two decades, the AYGS platform has played a pioneering role in shaping Africa’s emerging intellectuals. This annual gathering of master’s students, doctoral candidates, recent PhD graduates, policymakers, and practitioners provides a dynamic space for young African voices to present research addressing Africa’s most pressing development priorities.

Known for its rich cultural diversity and growing dynamic economies, the 20th AYGS conference will be held on 10–12 March 2026 at the University of Mpumalanga (UMP). This milestone conference will be hosted by the HSRC, in partnership with the National Research Foundation (NRF) Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre, the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), and other key academic and policy stakeholders.

The 2026 theme: Driving Sustainable Development: Innovation Through Technological Transformation

Africa stands on the cusp of a profound transformation, one defined by its demographic dividend, youthful energy, and digital ambition. However, despite promising advancements, the continent continues to grapple with multidimensional challenges: growing climate vulnerability, persistent inequalities, youth unemployment, fragmented governance systems, and shifting global power dynamics.

In this context, the 2026 AYGS Conference invites early-career African researchers to reimagine Africa’s future through the lens of technological innovation, sustainability, and inclusive development. The theme emphasises the importance of harnessing scientific evidence, technological capabilities, and youth-led innovations to design African solutions to African problems. It calls for bold thinking, practical insights, and collaborative research that will influence policy, transform systems, and deliver meaningful impact.

This historic AYGS conference seeks to inspire scholars to interrogate Africa’s position in the global knowledge economy and to explore how innovation can serve as a bridge between aspiration and action. In line with Agenda 2063, the conference recognizes Africa’s youth not only as beneficiaries but as architects of development, equipped to shape inclusive and resilient futures.

AYGS matters

Over the years, AYGS has transformed to become more than a conference and is now a community of knowledge builders, change agents, and critical thinkers committed to Africa’s transformation who seek:

  • Thought leadership from emerging scholars is shaping the continent’s development discourse
  • Peer learning and mentoring between young researchers and senior academics
  • Policy influence through dialogue with government and civil society
  • Research capacity strengthening via pre-conference training and post-conference engagement

As we commemorate 20 years of AYGS, the 2026 edition will reflect on past progress while charting new frontiers for youth-led scholarship in development.