From June 11 to 17, 2026, Shanghai and Wuhan became the global stage for the Acceleration Week for the World Youth Development Forum, one of the most significant gatherings in international youth development. Among the delegates representing initiatives from 80 countries worldwide, FOSDA was proud to participate through its flagship Ghana Youth Development and Enhancement Program (GYDEP), an initiative funded by Oxfam.
One of the most powerful takeaways from the week was the coherence of the vision behind the 2026 Action Plan for Global Youth Development. Under the theme “Youth Drive Development for a Better World”, the initiative does not treat economic growth and human development as separate tracks.
This approach emphasizing on technological innovation alongside fairness, shared benefits, and the comprehensive development of people, mirrors the values FOSDA brings to its work in Ghana and across the continent. Development that leaves young people behind is not development. Growth that concentrates opportunity rather than distributing it is not sustainable.
The week reinforced that these are not African questions or Asian questions, they are universal ones, and they require the kind of cross-cultural, South-South, and global collaboration that events like this make possible.
A Program Selected for Excellence
The Ghana Youth Development and Enhancement Program (GYDEP) was selected as one of the Excellence Programs of the 2026 Action Plan for Global Youth Development: a recognition that places it among a curated group of high-impact initiatives shaping the future of young people globally.
The 2026 Acceleration Week gathered 200 youth development projects spanning eight priority domains:
- Technological Innovation and Application
- Volunteer Service and Poverty Reduction
- Green Development
- Artificial Intelligence
- Lifelong Education and Skills Development
- Trendy Culture and Youth Communities
- Health and Well-Being
- Sustainable Production
Shanghai and Wuhan: Inspiration, Innovation and Dialogue
The Acceleration Week was more than a conference. It was an immersion. Across seven days, delegates engaged in substantive dialogues, site visits, and exchanges that challenged and expanded how we think about development.
Among the most striking moments were visits to leading Chinese industrial innovators: Dongfeng Motor Group, Tesla, and Sany. These visits offered a window into the future of New Energy Vehicles and prompted deeper reflection on what sustainable mobility means for communities across the Global South.
The theme of Artificial Intelligence ran throughout the week as both a technical reality and a strategic imperative. For youth development organizations like FOSDA, the question is not whether AI will shape the world our beneficiaries inhabit: it already does. The question is how we equip young people to harness it, critically engage with it, and ensure its benefits are equitably distributed.
Looking Ahead
Returning from Wuhan and Shanghai, we carry more than memories. We carry ideas, partnerships, and a renewed sense of urgency.
The conversations had, the models observed, and the relationships built during the Acceleration Week will feed directly into the next phase of FOSDA’s work: deepening the reach of the Youth Entrepreneurship Support Program, accelerating the development of the ECOWAS Youth Parliament, and exploring how AI literacy can be meaningfully integrated into our education and skills programming.
The recognition of the Ghana Youth Development and Enhancement Program on the global stage is a validation of what our teams, partners, and most importantly, the young people we work with, have been building together. It is also a responsibility to continue, to scale, and to remain faithful to the communities at the heart of this work.