The Garissa Youth Summit 2025 concluded on Saturday at Garissa University with a powerful, “unified call for sustainability, innovation, and inclusive development across northern Kenya.”
The event was organized by the Garissa County Students and Youth Association (GACOSYA) under the theme “Youth in Action – Leading Garissa Towards a Sustainable Future,” successfully brought together over 1,000 young leaders, innovators, students, and policymakers.
It functioned as a crucial platform for intergenerational dialogue and for crafting youth-led solutions to regional challenges like unemployment, climate change, and underdevelopment.
Presiding as the Chief Guest, Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs, Fikirini Jacobs, praised the summit as a "powerful testament to the energy and innovation of Garissa’s youth," and strongly advocated for new national and county policies that treat young people not just as beneficiaries, but as "co-creators of our future."
The summit's one-day agenda was segmented into four highly focused thematic sessions aimed at immediate youth empowerment.
The first session, Technology, Innovation and Start-ups in the Era of AI, highlighted the potential of digital tools in business and governance, with technology expert Abdinajib Adan Bulle from Empower with IT.
Mr. Bulle specifically urged the incorporation of digital literacy into local education. Other critical sessions tackled the importance of Youth Mentorship, Leadership and Intergenerational Dialogue to transfer skills to future leaders, and the urgent need for stronger investment in TVETs and Technical Skills to create a future-ready workforce.
Furthermore, the session on Agribusiness, Smart Agriculture and Innovation Opportunities offered a strategic blueprint for using technology-driven farming to bolster food security across the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).
Before the formal conclusion, participants demonstrated their practical commitment to the summit’s ideals by holding community service.
These activities included a tree planting exercise at Garissa University to champion environmental sustainability and a blood donation drive at Garissa County Teaching and Referral Hospital. The efforts are dedicated to public welfare and volunteerism.
GACOSYA Secretary General, Abdisalam Ahmed Sheikh, affirmed that the summit represents more than just a single event, but rather the launch of a "long-term agenda" to place youth at the center of regional development and policy-making.
The resolutions from the summit are now set to be compiled into a comprehensive youth action plan designed to guide future collaborations between government, the private sector, and civil society.
“This will firmly establish that Garissa’s path to sustainable development hinges entirely on empowering its young people,” noted Mr. Ahmed.