Nurturing Policy Voices at the AFRIWOCC 2025 Conference

Merton & Everett LLP was proud to serve as an official partner of the second Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC 2025), convened under the theme Young Voices, Innovative Ideas, Greater Impact for Africa. The conference, chaired by Her Excellency Samira Bawumia, Founder and Chair of AFRIWOCC, brought together over 800 in-person and virtual delegates from government, diplomacy, international development, business, academia, and civil society, including senior representatives from the United Nations, the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, the African Development Bank, and the Clean Cooking Alliance.

The firm’s participation went beyond the level of institutional partnership. Merton & Everett facilitated one of the conference’s flagship Innovation Lab sessions, titled Demystifying the Policy Process for Young People: Understanding the Who, the How and the What of Public Policy. The session was led by Senior Partner Oliver Barker-Vormawor and Managing Partner Michelle Akuffo, joined by Mawuli Dake of the Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa, and firm Associate Susanette Frances Kwarley Simpson.

The session explored how young people can move beyond passive observation of governance to become active drivers of policy reform. Participants worked through the dynamics of the policy process; who holds power, how decisions are made, and where young people and civil society can most effectively intervene. The discussion covered the full policy advocacy framework, from identifying issues and setting objectives to power mapping, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based advocacy strategy. Facilitators emphasised that effective policy influence demands not only an understanding of institutional frameworks but also cultural sensitivity and the ability to sustain engagement over time.

The session produced a set of concrete recommendations, including calls for structured youth capacity-building programmes in policy analysis, stronger support for youth-led advocacy coalitions, and greater collaboration between government, civil society, and young people in co-creating policies that reflect lived community realities.

Merton & Everett’s participation in AFRIWOCC 2025 reflects the firm’s commitment to investing in the next generation of policy advocates and to contributing our legal and policy expertise to platforms that advance inclusive governance and sustainable development across Africa. The conference’s policy recommendations will be presented at COP 30 in November 2025.