NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Achieving sustainability in urban cities is a struggle for most countries in Africa. Although the challenges of achieving sustainability in some of these cities are unique, shared challenges are ubiquitous across the continent such as low institutional capacity, poor infrastructural facilities, and environmental degradation. At the forefront of these challenges are young people because they represent the majority of the region’s population. While African cities strive to overcome the hurdles, governments in the developed world are partnering with international development agencies and other stakeholders to create avenues for young people to establish business enterprises that draw on the nexus between entrepreneurship and sustainability known as ecopreneurship. Such business principles generate income and sit at the heart of sustainability through efficient resource use and a significant cutback on environmental degradation.

Opportunities for young Africans to venture into ecopreneurship are dire due to the socio-cultural practices and a lack of financial and technical support for them as they venture into business. Hence, the YouSustain Conference seeks to create a platform for young people, developmental agencies, and researchers to have an intellectual discourse on how best young people can be supported to contribute to urban sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa through ecopreneurship.