Representatives of the World Youth Festival Directorate paid a working visit to Tanzania and South Africa, where they held meetings with regional leaders and civil society organizations, and introduced the International Festival of Youth — the largest international youth event of 2026, which is being implemented as part of the national “Youth and Children” project. Interest in the Festival on the African continent is also reflected in the application campaign statistics: more than 400 applications for participation in the Festival have already been submitted from Tanzania, and 87 from the Republic of South Africa.

One of the key events of the visit to Tanzania was a meeting with Joel Nanauka, Minister of Youth Development of the United Republic of Tanzania, who readily accepted an invitation to attend the International Festival of Youth in September in Ekaterinburg. It is important to note that the Ministry of Youth Development was established in the country in November 2025. Previously, youth policy fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology, and Vocational Training. The upcoming visit will mark a significant international step for the Head of the new ministry.

During the visit to Tanzania, meetings were also held with Andrey Avetisyan, Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Tanzania, and key members of the local WYFD Project Office. Issues of cooperation were also discussed with the leadership of the country’s National Museum, where special attention was paid to the preservation of historical memory and the participation of Tanzanian representatives in Russian cultural exchange events.

Additionally, substantive consultations were held with the leadership of the ruling party “Chama Cha Mapinduzi”: Secretary for Information Dissemination Kenani Kihongosi and Youth League President Mohammed Khalidi. Discussions focused on forming a pool of experts and a list of speakers for the International Festival of Youth from Tanzania. Matukuta Ahmed Malanyingi, the party leader in the Mbarali-Mbeya district, commenting on the upcoming Festival, emphasized that this is an excellent opportunity for young Tanzanians to gain new knowledge and learn from Russia’s experience in various fields.

“My hopes for the festival are to see how young people’s hope for the future transforms both themselves and society. And also to gain new knowledge in science and technology, because Russia is a country of cutting-edge technology, and now is the perfect time for this”, shared Matukuta Ahmed Malanyingi, leader of “Chama Cha Mapinduzi” in the Mbarali-Mbeya district.

Working meetings with young people from the African continent continued in the Republic of South Africa. Amina Khubieva, Chief Advisor of the Department of International Cooperation with Asian and African Countries at the WYFD, presented the Festival at the BRICS+ Youth Innovation Summit, which brought together more than 300 delegates from BRICS member states and Southern African nations.

During a meeting with Sunshine Mende, Head of the National Youth Affairs Agency, a decision was made to involve South African experts in the IFY-2026 program and to develop a joint preparatory course as part of the upcoming event. During a conversation with Zolani Mkiwa, head of the “Congress of Traditional Leaders,” issues related to cooperation with the country’s youth leaders were discussed.

As part of the working visit, representatives of the Directorate also held meetings with leaders of South African youth organizations, including Collen Malatja, President of the African National Congress Youth League—the country’s largest youth organization—and Josias Mahube, former head of the youth wing of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, and representatives of other youth movements.

In addition, as part of the educational track, cooperation issues were discussed with the leadership of the Department of External Relations at Tshwane University of Technology, where support was secured for engagement with the broad alumni community of this leading university.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 at “Sirius”, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries. In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events on the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod in 2025 and brought together 2,000 young people from 120 countries. In 2026, the International Festival of Youth will gather 10,000 participants. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation and developing a community of young people who care about the future of the world..