Posted on October, 16 2017

16 September 2017, Arusha: The WWF Africa Youth Award winners were announced at a gala event on Monday 16th October in Arusha, Tanzania on the sidelines of the WWF Africa Conservation Forum. The nominee from Cameroon Ms Monique Ntumngia was crowned the winner of the inaugural WWF Africa Youth Award 2017 in the colorful event. The runners up position was awarded to John Magiro from Kenya.

The award aims at giving Africa’s youth a platform to engage with thought leaders in conservation and building a movement of young people who are engaged in conservation.

WWF Regional Director for Africa, Fred Kwame Kumah reiterated his commitment to work with the youth in Africa and promised to build a WWF Youth platform in Africa over the coming year when presenting the award to the overall winner.

The winner, Monique Ntumngia, 27, from Cameroon is the founder of the Green Girls organisation that trains women and girls how to generate biogas from waste and energy from the sun. Since commencing activities, 672 girls from 23 communities in Cameroon have been trained in 3 regions of Cameroon. The organisation also empowers these girls and women on how to promote sustainable development and become financially independent. Monique says “ I believe that renewable energy is the solution to the energy problem that Africa and the world is facing and also a solution to combatting climate change and promoting sustainable living”. Monique wants to expand her project into other Central African countries next year.  

John Magiro, 26, runners up in the WWF Africa Youth Awards is the founder and director of Magiro Mini Hydro Power Project, a project to harness and sell hydro-electric power to the residents of his home village in Central Kenya. He also hires other young men to help with the work, creating a source of living for his fellow young people while still watching out for the environment. He maintains that the project encourages the residents of Mihuti village to take care of the river as it is the source of their power.

“The youth can destroy the environment but the youth can also save it. I want to change communities from within and make sure every community with water has access to hydropower” said John Magiro.

Africa is the most youthful continent with about 65% of the total population below the age of 35 years. By 2020, it is projected that out of 4 people, 3 will be on average 20 years old. The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) seeks to empower youth all over Africa through the Pan-African youth transformational program. The future of conservation in Africa will be determined by the networks of informed youngsters rising and making a change in their lives and those around them towards creating a better Africa.


About WWF Africa Youth Award 2017

The WWF Africa Youth Award is designed to recognize and celebrate young adults throughout Africa who have developed innovative projects, practices, activities and solutions to the sustainable development challenges facing our continent today. It is open to young people aged between 18 and 35 and WWF offices in Africa make nominations.