Dar Es Salaam — FIVE young social activists aged between 18 and 24 will attend the World Economic Forum on Africa to be held on May 5 to 7 in Dar es Salaam.

The five, supported by the British Council, are from Kenya, Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, and were selected from over 1000 young applicants from across Africa.

According to the Global Changemakers Head of Communications, Katherine Hermans, the five will be the youngest participants at this year's World Economic Forum on Africa, being held for the first time in Tanzania.

"They were selected based on their track record of achievement in their local communities and their work in education, human rights, health, and environment," she said

Hermans said they will be fully integrated into the programme including having speaking roles in several sessions and meet with leaders such as President Jakaya Kikwete and Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and business leaders such as Patrice Motsepe, Executive Chairman for African Rainbow Minerals.

The young social activists will also feature in their own session where they will present fellow participants with innovative ideas to catalyse future growth and development in Africa.

The five are part of the British Council's pioneering Global Changemakers initiative. Global Changemakers is a global youth network of social entrepreneurs, community activists and volunteers (aged 16-25) that exists to share ideas and best practices, and work individually and together on grassroots projects.

Global Changemakers learn skills to further the impact of their work, receive grant funding from the British Council, and are selected to participate in high-level political and economic events, to act as advocates and to raise decision-makers' awareness of key issues on the global agenda.

Founded for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2007, Global Changemakers have partnered with, and participated in, World Economic Forum events (in Davos, Sharm-el-Sheikh, Cape Town and Cartagena), the Clinton Global Initiative, the Global Humanitarian Forum and the G20. Individual supporters include His Majest Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, President Bill Clinton, and the actress Emma Thompson.