DoTheDream Youth Development Initiative (DoTheDream YDI), a Nigerian-founded youth development organization with consultative status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has appointed Omopeju Afanu as Chair of the Planning Committee for its high-level side event at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70).
The side event, titled 'Catalyzing Energy Justice: Energizing Communities through Girls/Women and Sport', will be held during CSW70 in New York and is expected to highlight African-led perspectives on gender equality, energy access, youth development and sustainable financing within global policy discussions.
This was revealed in a statement given to the media.
Positioned as a delivery-focused engagement, the CSW70 platform aims to raise up to USD 20 million in catalytic capital to accelerate DoTheDream YDI's Girls in Energy initiative.
The statement said the program is designed as an integrated ecosystem that equips girls and young women with the technical skills, leadership capabilities and market-facing opportunities to meaningfully participate in Africa's clean energy transition.
The statement further said that the funding target is intended to de-risk initial phase implementation, unlock follow-up investments, and translate policy alignment into measurable community-level outcomes.
Across Africa, millions of households and small businesses are operating without reliable electricity, limiting productivity, weakening service delivery and slowing economic growth.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected, facing increasing burdens of domestic labor and less access to education, health care, and income-generating opportunities.
DoTheDream YDI's intervention seeks to address this gap by linking education, innovation and employment pathways directly to renewable energy deployment at the community level.
The statement revealed that the main component of the initiative is a 10MW solar mini-grid ambition, which aims to expand access to clean, reliable electricity for households and small enterprises while creating green jobs for youth in installation, operation, maintenance and local energy entrepreneurship.
The catalytic funding will support project preparation, community engagement, skills training and implementation partnerships, enabling faster scale-up and improved bankability for public and private co-financing.
The program also integrates sports-for-development as a tool for community mobilization, leadership development and social inclusion. Using sport as an entry point, the initiative seeks to broaden participation, strengthen safety nets and raise the visibility of girls and young women in sectors where they have traditionally been underrepresented, including energy and technology.
The CSW70 side event is expected to convene representatives from UN agencies, permanent missions, development organisations, clean energy investors, private sector actors, civil society groups and sport for development and climate advocates.
The discussion will focus on aligning gender equality goals with energy access strategies and investment frameworks in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Afanu brings to her role extensive experience in multi-sector leadership and inclusive development.
As Chair of the Planning Committee, she will lead strategic coordination, stakeholder engagement and program design to ensure that the program delivers concrete results in line with Global South development priorities.
Founder of DoTheDream YDI, Adebusuyi Olutayo Olumadewa said the appointment reflects the organisation’s focus on leadership, ownership and implementation.
“This initiative is about moving beyond access to leadership and ownership,” he said.
“Girls and women in the Global South must be positioned not only as beneficiaries of energy solutions, but also as drivers of sustainable community change.”
