The organizing committee for the upcoming YOG is determined to bring Senegalese youth on board. To this end, it has launched the Dakar 2026 Learning Academy, a training program that will enable 419 young people, aged 21 to 35, to join the YOGOC and contribute to the success of these unprecedented Youth Olympic Games for Africa. The first elected members have just begun their training.
Already 41 recruits
Ibrahima Wade, general coordinator of the COYOG, gave the color: the goal is to "select the best Senegalese men and women who will join the team"Applicants must have at least a bachelor's degree and be able to speak French and English. More than 1800 young people have already applied, and 41 of them have been selected to form the first cohort. “These champions who will deliver the Games”, to quote Wade, are already at work, with theory and concrete action, such as the visit to the Abdoulaye Wade stadium, which will host the opening ceremony.
"After the training, they will join the Youth Olympic Games organizing committee., explains Fatimata Diaw, manager of this Academy. Joining the YOGOC is, above all, a unique experience, a first on the African continent. We must enable young people to play an active role in organizing these Games by giving them the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to successfully organize this first edition of the Youth Olympic Games on the African continent.
There were over 1800 applicants, 170 of whom were shortlisted. After an intense week of interviews, only 41 remained.
— Dakar 2026 (@jojdakar2026) April 29, 2025
Congratulations to those who form the first cohort in the history of the Dakar 2026 Learning Academy and will join the Committee… pic.twitter.com/0FtYLhoSXf
Educating youth and leaving a legacy
The YOGOC plans to spread this training program over nine cohorts, four in 2025 and five in 2026. The next application phase runs until May 16. The job description posted on the Academy's website, it cites, in particular, the organization of meetings and workshops, the writing of reports and internal communications, and even research and data analysis, among the tasks of elected officials. "These are positions that we want to train in order to maintain a certain heritage in terms of professions, in terms of skills for everything that is "event".", underlines Bocar Laurent Sy, director of human resources at Dakar 2026.
As the COJOJ reminds us, "The absence, to date, of a major international sporting event in Dakar leads to the need and desire to strengthen the capacities of the local workforce."These YOG will thus serve as a springboard for this generation towards a career in sports management or major events. Two weeks ago, part of the YOGOC went to the Higher Institute of Management to meet with students and raise their awareness of the opportunity offered by the Academy. “You will receive training with the CIO and a paid opportunity with a work contract., supports Fatimata Diaw. The program aims to offer African youth, aged 21 to 35, the opportunity to gain incredible experience by participating in the organization of the Games. A win-win program that combines the present and the future.
