Young African Leaders Push for Decision-Making Power at 2026 Cape Town Summit

Canninah Dladla wants young Africans in the room where decisions get made, not simply inheriting the outcomes.

When the One Young World Summit convenes in Cape Town from November 3 to 6, 2026, more than two thousand young leaders from over one hundred ninety countries will gather to tackle the world’s most pressing social, environmental and economic challenges. For Schneider Electric, the event represents a critical moment to reshape how Africa’s energy future gets decided.

The company’s role as a Ribbon Partner at the Cape Town International Convention Centre signals a deepening commitment that began in 2024, when Schneider Electric first joined One Young World’s partner community. This year’s summit marks the first time the global youth leadership event returns to the African continent since 2013, and the company is positioning itself at the center of conversations about who shapes the continent’s path forward.

Dladla, Cluster President for Sub-Saharan Africa at Schneider Electric, frames the partnership as fundamentally about power and voice. “The Summit is an opportunity to start conversations, but it is not where those conversations should end,” Dladla noted. “We want to create connections that continue beyond Cape Town, between young talent and experienced leaders, between education and industry, and between ideas and opportunities. When we give people access to skills, networks and the right opportunities, we create the conditions for sustainable impact to grow.”

The company’s executive delegation will include Esther Finidori, Chief Sustainability Officer and Executive Committee Member, and Charise Le, Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Committee Member, alongside Dladla. Their presence signals that the partnership extends beyond corporate sponsorship into substantive organizational commitment.

Africa’s energy systems are undergoing rapid transformation. As economies across the continent become increasingly electrified, digitalised and connected, the skills gap widens. Dladla is direct about what that demands. “Africa has enormous potential to shape its own sustainable future, but unlocking that potential requires more than investment in infrastructure and technology. It requires investment in people,” Dladla added. “Bringing One Young World to Cape Town creates an important platform to put Africa’s young leaders at the centre of conversations about the continent’s future. They should not simply inherit the decisions being made today, they should be part of making them.”

Schneider Electric’s existing work across Africa already spans technical education, early career programmes and community partnerships with TVET colleges, universities and civil society organizations. The One Young World partnership amplifies this approach by creating a space where emerging leaders can build networks, gain exposure to different perspectives and connect with organizations positioned to help translate ideas into implementation.

Technology, Dladla argues, is only part of the equation. “While technology can create significant opportunities, its impact depends on people having the knowledge, confidence and capabilities to apply it,” Dladla concluded. “Our partnership with One Young World allows us to connect with young leaders who are already driving change and to explore how we can help equip even more people to shape the future.”

This partnership builds on Schneider Electric’s earlier involvement with One Young World through its Youth Impact Through Learning initiative in 2025, a progression from participation to deeper institutional engagement. The Ribbon Partner designation places the company among the summit’s core supporters as it convenes Africa’s next generation of decision-makers.

For young leaders across the continent, the summit offers rare access to networks, skills development and direct connection with established organizations. For Schneider Electric, it represents both a commitment to Africa’s energy transition and an opportunity to engage with the emerging voices who will shape how that transition unfolds. Whether the connections formed in Cape Town in November 2026 translate into lasting pathways, or remain conference-room conversations, may depend on what both sides choose to do once the summit closes.