Cardinal Ambongo urges West African Youth to take courage and build peace

The President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu, has urged young people across West Africa to take courage, embrace their role in society and become agents of peace and hope in a region facing insecurity, poverty, unemployment and conflict.

In a message to more than 3,500 young people gathered in the Achimota School in Accra, Ghana, for the first West Africa Youth Days, Cardinal Ambongo said the Church believes in the faith, energy, creativity and capacity of young people to transform society.

The Youth Days, organised by the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA/CERAO) from September 7 to 12, 2026, are being held under the theme “Take Courage (John 16:33): Catholic Youth as actors and agents of peace and hope in West Africa.”

“Africa needs you”

Cardinal Ambongo described the gathering as a “historic moment” for the Church, West Africa and the continent, saying it provides young people with an opportunity to experience the spirit of World Youth Days while celebrating their faith across national, cultural and linguistic boundaries. “West Africa needs you. Our continent needs young people who are not afraid to dream, to serve and to build,” the SECAM President said.

He challenged the youth to become voices of hope and peace in communities wounded by violence, insecurity, division and conflict.

The President of SECAM, also Archbishop of Kinshasa, urged young people to draw strength from their faith in Christ and solidarity with one another, insisting that the challenges confronting their generation “do not have the final word.”

Participants at the opening ceremony of the first West Africa Youth Days in Accra, Ghana/Charles Ayetan/SECAM

Encounter with Christ and with one another

He encouraged participants to use the Youth Days as an opportunity for a deeper encounter with Christ through the Eucharist, prayer, teachings and cultural celebrations. Beyond the activities, he called on the youth to make the gathering a moment of genuine encounter with Christ and with one another.

The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Matthew K. Gyamfi, similarly stressed the importance of investing in young people, describing West Africa’s youthful population as a major resource for the region’s development.

He called for young people to be formed in faith, integrity, service, leadership and responsible citizenship, urging participants to carry the spirit of the Youth Days back to their communities by promoting peace, reconciliation, justice and hope.

Bishops Group photo with the Vice-President of Ghana, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, at the opening ceremony of the West Africa Youth Days, Accra, Ghana/Charles Ayetan/SECAM

Friendships beyond borders

The Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Archbishop Julien Kaboré, told the youth that Africa and the Church need them now, not tomorrow. Echoing the call for regional unity, he urged them to “walk together” and build friendships that go beyond borders.

Representing President John Dramani Mahama, Ghana’s Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, also highlighted the role of young people in West African integration. She warned that anger, prejudice and falsehood can spread rapidly across borders through digital platforms, but said technology can also connect communities, spread knowledge and create opportunities.

As the first West Africa Youth Days continue in Accra, Cardinal Ambongo’s central message remains clear: young Catholics are called not simply to inherit Africa’s future, but to courageously shape its present by becoming “builders of a more just, peaceful and hopeful Africa”.

SECAM Communication’s Office