Youth organizations across selected West African countries have an opportunity to secure significant financial support to establish, develop, and strengthen spaces where young people can learn, innovate, access support, build leadership skills, and become active agents of change in their communities.
The Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) Call for Projects – Youth Spaces – West Africa 2026 is inviting eligible youth organizations from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, and Togo to submit projects designed to create or strengthen safe, inclusive, accessible, and stimulating environments for young people.
Through the first phase of the initiative, 20 Youth Spaces are expected to receive grants of €10,000 per project, with approximately two to three projects anticipated per participating country. The selected projects will be implemented for a period of six to 12 months.
The opportunity does not necessarily end with the initial €10,000 grant. A second phase will select four Youth Spaces from among the Phase 1 winners, with each selected project eligible to receive up to €40,000 for an additional implementation period of six to 12 months.
The call is being launched by GHIYADA AFRICA in Togo, in partnership with SESG Future Ready Hub in Ghana, within the framework of the Africa-Europe Youth Academy. AEYA is funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, in consortium with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
Applications can be submitted in English or French, making the opportunity accessible to organizations across both Anglophone and Francophone participating countries.
The application deadline is August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM GMT.
About the Africa-Europe Youth Academy
The Africa-Europe Youth Academy is an initiative designed to strengthen opportunities for young people and youth organizations while contributing to cooperation between Africa and Europe.
Within this broader framework, the Youth Spaces call focuses specifically on strengthening environments where young people can develop their potential, obtain support, participate in community initiatives, and build the leadership capabilities required to contribute meaningfully to their societies.
The initiative recognizes that young people need more than occasional training activities or short-term programmes. They also require accessible and supportive environments where they can meet, collaborate, learn, innovate, receive services, develop initiatives, and engage with their communities.
The Youth Spaces initiative therefore seeks to support youth organizations that can create or strengthen these types of environments across participating West African countries.
About the AEYA Youth Spaces Call for Projects – West Africa
The Call for Projects – Youth Spaces – West Africa targets youth organizations operating in seven eligible countries:
- Benin
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Mauritania
- Senegal
- Togo
GHIYADA AFRICA is launching the initiative in partnership with SESG Future Ready Hub under the Africa-Europe Youth Academy.
The funding is intended to help youth organizations develop and strengthen projects referred to as “Youth Spaces.”
These spaces should provide environments in which young people can access opportunities that support their personal, professional, civic, and leadership development.
The call particularly emphasizes the creation of environments that are:
- Safe
- Inclusive
- Stimulating
- Supportive of youth leadership
- Accessible to young people
- Capable of providing relevant support services
- Conducive to youth-led initiatives and engagement
Ultimately, the programme aims to help create spaces where young people can learn, innovate, engage, and become agents of change.
Main Objective of the Youth Spaces Grants
The principal objective of the call is to support youth organizations in developing and strengthening Youth Spaces projects through grant funding.
The programme seeks to enable young people to access environments where they can:
- Develop leadership skills.
- Access support services.
- Strengthen their own initiatives.
- Learn and acquire new knowledge.
- Experiment with innovative ideas.
- Engage with other young people.
- Participate more actively in their communities.
- Develop their capacity to become agents of positive change.
This makes the funding particularly relevant to youth organizations seeking resources to strengthen the infrastructure, programming, services, or activities of spaces dedicated to youth empowerment.
Funding Available Under the AEYA Youth Spaces Programme
One of the most important features of this funding opportunity is its two-phase structure.
Organizations selected during the initial stage can receive €10,000, while some of the strongest projects may subsequently progress to a second phase offering considerably larger grants.
Phase 1: €10,000 Grants for 20 Youth Spaces
Under Phase 1:
- Number of beneficiaries: 20 Youth Spaces
- Grant amount: €10,000 per project
- Project duration: Six to 12 months
- Expected geographical distribution: Approximately two to three Youth Spaces per eligible country, on an indicative basis
This phase is intended to provide organizations with resources to develop or strengthen their Youth Spaces projects.
The reference to approximately two to three beneficiaries per country is described as indicative. Applicants should therefore consult the complete call regulations for the detailed selection and allocation arrangements.
Phase 2: Up to €40,000 for Four Selected Youth Spaces
The programme provides an additional opportunity for projects that perform strongly during Phase 1.
Under Phase 2:
- Number of beneficiaries: Four Youth Spaces
- Selection pool: Winners from Phase 1
- Maximum grant: Up to €40,000 per project
- Duration: Six to 12 months
This means that Phase 1 can serve as an important pathway toward significantly larger financial support.
Organizations should therefore consider the initial €10,000 grant not simply as standalone funding, but also as an opportunity to demonstrate the strength, relevance, feasibility, and potential impact of their Youth Space model.
How Much Funding Can Organizations Receive?
The programme has two different funding levels.
Initial funding
Selected Phase 1 projects can receive:
€10,000 per project
Follow-on funding
Four projects selected from among Phase 1 winners can subsequently receive:
Up to €40,000 per project
Applicants should carefully review the official call regulations to understand eligible expenditure, financial requirements, reporting obligations, and any other conditions associated with the grants.
How Many Organizations Will Be Supported?
The first phase is expected to support 20 Youth Spaces across the seven participating West African countries.
The programme indicates an approximate distribution of:
Two to three Youth Spaces per country
However, this distribution is described as indicative.
Following implementation of Phase 1, four Youth Spaces will be selected from among the winners for Phase 2 support.
This creates a competitive progression model in which organizations first receive funding to implement or strengthen their projects before selected initiatives advance to a larger funding opportunity.
Eligible Countries for the AEYA Youth Spaces Grants 2026
The West Africa call is geographically targeted.
Organizations must come from one of the following seven countries:
Benin
Youth organizations operating in Benin are eligible to participate.
Côte d’Ivoire
Eligible youth organizations from Côte d’Ivoire can submit applications.
Ghana
Youth organizations operating in Ghana are included in the call.
Guinea
Youth organizations based in Guinea are eligible.
Mauritania
Organizations serving young people in Mauritania can participate, subject to the complete eligibility rules.
Senegal
Eligible youth organizations in Senegal can apply.
Togo
Youth organizations operating in Togo are also eligible.
Organizations outside these listed countries should not assume eligibility under this specific Lot 1 West Africa call.
Who Is the Programme Designed For?
The call specifically asks:
“Are you a youth organization in West Africa?”
It is therefore targeted at youth organizations within the eligible participating countries rather than individual young people applying personally for grants.
The selected organizations will use the grants to develop and strengthen Youth Spaces that benefit young people.
Because the information provided does not give the complete legal, registration, organizational age, financial, or governance requirements for applicant organizations, interested applicants should carefully read the official Rules for the Call for Projects before preparing their submissions.
The organizers specifically advise applicants to read all relevant documents before completing the application form.
What Are Youth Spaces?
Within the context of this call, Youth Spaces are environments designed to give young people opportunities to develop their skills, access support, expand their initiatives, and participate meaningfully in society.
The programme seeks to help create spaces where young people can:
- Learn
- Innovate
- Engage
- Build leadership capacity
- Access support
- Develop initiatives
- Connect with others
- Become agents of change
This broad framing potentially allows organizations to think strategically about how their Youth Spaces can respond to the specific realities and needs of young people in their communities.
However, applicants should ensure that their proposed activities remain consistent with the detailed requirements contained in the official call regulations.
What Types of Projects Could Align With the Call?
The information provided describes the broad purpose of Youth Spaces but does not provide an exhaustive list of eligible project activities.
Organizations should therefore avoid assuming that a particular expenditure or activity is automatically eligible.
At a broader conceptual level, applicants should consider how their project will contribute to creating or strengthening a space that is:
- Safe for young people
- Inclusive and accessible
- Stimulating and engaging
- Supportive of leadership development
- Connected to useful support services
- Capable of strengthening youth initiatives
- Focused on meaningful youth participation
The official regulations should ultimately guide the design of the proposal.
Project Duration
Projects funded through the programme are expected to operate within defined implementation periods.
Phase 1 duration
Six to 12 months
Phase 2 duration
Six to 12 months
Applicants should therefore develop realistic project plans that can produce meaningful results within the applicable implementation period.
Organizations should pay particular attention to whether their proposed activities, staffing arrangements, partnerships, implementation schedules, and expected outcomes are achievable within this timeframe.
Application Languages
Applications can be prepared in:
- English
- French
This is particularly important given the multilingual nature of the participating West African countries.
Applicants should use the language in which they can most clearly and accurately communicate their project’s objectives, methodology, expected impact, implementation strategy, and organizational capacity, subject to the requirements of the application documents.
Important Dates and Application Timeline
Applicants should take note of the following dates.
Information Session
July 25, 2026
An information session was scheduled to provide potential applicants with information relating to the funding opportunity.
Application Deadline
August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM GMT
Applicants should ensure their complete applications are submitted before this deadline.
Organizations should avoid waiting until the final hours to submit, particularly where online application systems or document uploads are involved.
Application Deadline for the AEYA Youth Spaces Grants 2026
The official deadline is:
August 7, 2026, at 23:59 GMT
Applications submitted after the deadline may not be accepted.
Organizations should therefore allow sufficient time to:
- Read the call regulations.
- Confirm their eligibility.
- Download the required application documents.
- Develop their project concept.
- Prepare any required budget.
- Complete supporting documentation.
- Review the application.
- Submit before the deadline.
How to Apply for the Africa-Europe Youth Academy Youth Spaces Grants
Potential applicants are instructed to review the complete call documentation before beginning their application.
The process broadly involves the following steps.
Step 1: Review the Call for Projects Regulations
Applicants should begin by reading the official rules governing the call.
This is essential because the full regulations may contain additional requirements concerning eligibility, project activities, budgets, documentation, selection, implementation, reporting, and grant management.
Step 2: Download the Application Documents
The programme provides an application document folder that prospective applicants should consult.
Organizations should ensure that they are working with the correct and complete versions of all required documents.
Step 3: Confirm Organizational Eligibility
Before investing substantial time in preparing a proposal, organizations should confirm that they satisfy all eligibility conditions.
At minimum, the information provided indicates that the call targets youth organizations in the seven eligible West African countries.
Any additional legal or organizational eligibility requirements should be confirmed from the official rules.
Step 4: Develop the Youth Space Project
Applicants should clearly define how their proposed Youth Space will provide young people with a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment.
The proposal should clearly communicate what the organization intends to accomplish and how the project will benefit young people.
Step 5: Complete the Application
Applicants should complete all required sections and provide the supporting documentation requested in the call.
Step 6: Review Before Submission
Before submitting, organizations should carefully check their application for completeness, consistency, and accuracy.
Step 7: Submit Before the Deadline
The complete application should be submitted by:
August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM GMT
How Organizations Can Prepare a Strong Application
Although the information supplied does not provide the complete evaluation criteria, applicants can strengthen the clarity of their proposals by ensuring that their project concept directly addresses the stated objective of the call.
A strong proposal should make it easy to understand:
- What Youth Space the organization wants to develop or strengthen.
- Which young people the space will serve.
- What needs or challenges those young people face.
- Why the proposed Youth Space is necessary.
- How the space will be safe and inclusive.
- What opportunities young people will receive.
- How participants will develop leadership capabilities.
- What support services will be accessible.
- How the project will strengthen youth-led initiatives.
- What meaningful changes the project intends to achieve.
- How activities can realistically be delivered within six to 12 months.
- How the €10,000 grant will contribute to the project’s development.
Applicants should ensure that any claims, budget items, activities, or indicators are consistent with the official call regulations.
Why the Youth Spaces Initiative Matters
Youth organizations frequently serve as critical bridges between young people and opportunities for education, leadership, entrepreneurship, civic participation, skills development, innovation, and community engagement.
However, organizations need resources to create environments in which these activities can happen consistently and effectively.
The AEYA Youth Spaces initiative addresses this challenge by investing directly in organizations that can provide young people with supportive environments.
The programme’s emphasis on safe, inclusive, and stimulating spaces is particularly important because meaningful youth participation requires environments where young people feel able to express ideas, collaborate, experiment, learn, and lead.
Potential Value of the Two-Phase Funding Model
The two-stage structure is one of the most significant aspects of the programme.
Phase 1 provides 20 projects with €10,000 each, creating opportunities across the participating countries.
Phase 2 then provides four selected Phase 1 winners with grants of up to €40,000.
This structure can potentially enable promising Youth Spaces to progress from initial development or strengthening toward a larger stage of implementation.
It also means applicants should think beyond short-term activities and consider how their Youth Space could demonstrate a strong model with potential for continued development.
Organizations Behind the Call
The initiative involves several organizations and institutions.
GHIYADA AFRICA
GHIYADA AFRICA, based in Togo, is launching the West Africa Call for Projects.
SESG Future Ready Hub
SESG Future Ready Hub in Ghana is partnering with GHIYADA AFRICA on the initiative.
Africa-Europe Youth Academy
The funding call takes place within the framework of the Africa-Europe Youth Academy.
European Union
The Africa-Europe Youth Academy programme is funded by the European Union.
Expertise France
The programme is implemented by Expertise France.
Italian Agency for Development Cooperation
Expertise France implements the programme in consortium with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
Together, these partners are supporting the implementation of the Youth Spaces initiative in West Africa.
Technical Contacts
Organizations requiring technical clarification about the call can use the contact details provided by the organizers:
Applicants should consult the official call documents first and use the available contact channels where clarification is needed.
Key Information at a Glance
Programme: Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA) – Call for Projects: Youth Spaces – West Africa
Funding: European Union
Implemented by: Expertise France in consortium with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)
West Africa implementation partners: GHIYADA AFRICA and SESG Future Ready Hub
Eligible countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, and Togo
Phase 1 beneficiaries: 20 Youth Spaces
Phase 1 funding: €10,000 per project
Indicative distribution: Approximately two to three Youth Spaces per country
Phase 1 duration: Six to 12 months
Phase 2 beneficiaries: Four Youth Spaces selected from Phase 1 winners
Phase 2 funding: Up to €40,000 per project
Phase 2 duration: Six to 12 months
Application languages: English and French
Information session: July 25, 2026
Application deadline: August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM GMT
Important Considerations Before Applying
Prospective applicants should not begin the application process without reviewing the official regulations and supporting documents.
The organizers specifically encourage applicants to carefully read all documents before completing the application form.
This is particularly important because the summary information provided does not specify every possible condition concerning:
- Organizational registration requirements
- Required years of operation
- Financial eligibility
- Eligible and ineligible costs
- Required co-financing, if any
- Mandatory supporting documents
- Detailed assessment criteria
- Reporting obligations
- Grant payment arrangements
- Monitoring requirements
- Phase 2 selection procedures
Applicants should rely on the official call regulations for these details rather than making assumptions.
Why West African Youth Organizations Should Consider Applying
For eligible youth organizations, the programme presents an opportunity to secure resources specifically dedicated to creating stronger environments for young people.
The initial €10,000 grant can help selected organizations develop or strengthen their Youth Spaces over six to 12 months.
Beyond the funding itself, the initiative provides an opportunity for organizations to structure projects around meaningful youth development, including leadership, support services, participation, learning, innovation, and community engagement.
The possibility of progressing to Phase 2 and receiving up to €40,000 makes the programme particularly noteworthy for organizations capable of developing effective and potentially scalable Youth Space models.
Visit HERE for more information about the Africa-Europe Youth Academy Youth Spaces Grants 2026 for West Africa.
Conclusion
The Africa-Europe Youth Academy Youth Spaces Grants 2026 for West Africa offer an important funding opportunity for youth organizations seeking to create stronger, safer, more inclusive, and more stimulating environments for young people.
Funded by the European Union and implemented within the Africa-Europe Youth Academy framework, the call will support 20 Youth Spaces with grants of €10,000 each during Phase 1, with approximately two to three projects expected per participating country on an indicative basis.
The programme also creates a pathway for further support. Four Youth Spaces selected from among the Phase 1 winners may receive grants of up to €40,000 each during Phase 2.
Organizations from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, and Togo should carefully review the official call regulations and application documents before submitting their proposals.
With projects expected to help young people develop leadership skills, access support services, expand their initiatives, learn, innovate, engage, and become agents of change, this funding opportunity has the potential to strengthen both youth organizations and the communities they serve.
The application deadline is August 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM GMT.
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