Youth Media Expert
In November 2019, Nthanda Manduwi was selected to participate as a Youth Media Expert at the World Export Development Forum (WEDF), held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with the African Union Commission and the Government of Ethiopia, the World Export Development Forum is the ITC’s flagship global event on trade-led development. The annual forum convenes policymakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, development organizations, trade promotion agencies, academics, and media representatives to explore practical solutions for economic growth through trade and investment.
The 2019 edition was particularly significant because it took place during a pivotal moment in Africa’s economic history. Earlier that year, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) had entered into force, creating the foundation for what would become the largest free trade area in the world by number of participating countries. The agreement represented an ambitious effort to deepen economic integration across the continent by reducing trade barriers, increasing intra-African trade, encouraging industrialization, and creating new opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs.
Against this backdrop, WEDF 2019 adopted the theme “Trade and Invest in One Africa.” The forum brought together more than a thousand participants from over one hundred countries to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with a more integrated African economy. Discussions focused on trade competitiveness, regional value chains, manufacturing, agribusiness, digital trade, investment promotion, export development, youth entrepreneurship, women’s economic empowerment, and sustainable development.
The forum was designed not only as a platform for policy dialogue but also as a space for practical engagement. Throughout the week, participants attended high-level plenaries, technical sessions, business matchmaking activities, investment forums, entrepreneurship competitions, and networking events. Special emphasis was placed on ensuring that groups often excluded from economic decision-making—including young people and women—were meaningfully represented in conversations about Africa’s future.
One of the most innovative components of the forum was the Youth Media Zone, a dedicated platform created to amplify youth voices and facilitate dialogue between young people and decision-makers. The initiative recognized that while young Africans are frequently the subjects of development conversations, they are not always included as active participants in shaping those conversations.
The Youth Media Zone brought together selected young journalists, bloggers, content creators, storytellers, and media professionals from across Africa and beyond to document, interpret, and communicate the discussions taking place during the forum. Participants produced interviews, feature stories, digital content, social media coverage, and multimedia discussions aimed at making complex trade and economic issues more accessible to broader youth audiences.
The initiative sought to bridge the gap between policymakers and young people by creating opportunities for direct engagement with political leaders, business executives, development practitioners, and entrepreneurs. Topics explored within the Youth Media Zone included youth employment, entrepreneurship, access to finance, innovation, technology, climate change, trade policy, and the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
As a Youth Media Expert, Nthanda contributed to efforts to elevate youth perspectives within these discussions while engaging with stakeholders from across the continent. Her participation reflected a growing commitment to leveraging media, communication, and storytelling as tools for development, civic engagement, and economic empowerment.
The experience also provided early exposure to many of the themes that would later define her professional work, including entrepreneurship, digital transformation, knowledge sharing, systems thinking, and international development. Taking place several years before her work with the United Nations Development Programme, global knowledge initiatives, and broader development ecosystems, WEDF 2019 represented an important milestone in a career increasingly focused on connecting ideas, institutions, and communities across sectors and geographies.
Today, the World Export Development Forum remains one of the leading international platforms for discussions on trade and development. Participation in the 2019 edition offered a unique opportunity to engage with continental conversations surrounding economic integration and to contribute to efforts aimed at ensuring that Africa’s youth are not only beneficiaries of development, but active participants in shaping its future.
Each title asks hard questions about power, capital, and imagination — and how we move from inherited systems to futures built on critical thinking, creativity, and curiosity. My hope is that, just as the UN reimagines itself for a new era, this series will help a new generation confront uncomfortable truths, reclaim agency, and design structures that finally work for the Global South — not as an afterthought, but as an equal architect of the world to come.
Want to engage Ms. Manduwi as a speaker at your event, in other professional capacity? Get in touch.
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