Award-winning poet, actress and youth advocate Botlhale Boikanyo (25) has added another prestigious title to her growing list of achievements after being appointed as the new Regional International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Youth Champion for East and Southern Africa by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) East and Southern Africa Regional Office.
The appointment places the creative at the forefront of youth advocacy across one of the world’s youngest regions, where she will work with UNFPA to amplify the voices of young people and push for accelerated action on the commitments made under the ICPD Programme of Action. Her role will include advocating for bodily autonomy, gender equality, access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and ensuring young people have a meaningful seat at decision-making tables.
For many South Africans, Boikanyo’s journey began in 2012 when, at just 11 years old, she became the first poet and youngest winner of South Africa’s Got Talent. What started as a remarkable spoken-word performance has evolved into a career spanning acting, presenting, filmmaking, public speaking and activism. She has appeared in television productions including Scandal!, earned a South African Music Award for her spoken-word album, founded the Botlhale Boikanyo Foundation and has become a respected advocate for youth development and education through storytelling.
Announcing the appointment, UNFPA said Boikanyo’s work has consistently demonstrated the power of young people to influence positive change.
“Botlhale Boikanyo is an award-winning South African poet, actress, speaker and youth advocate whose journey from becoming the first poet and youngest winner of South Africa’s Got Talent at the age of 11 has evolved into a powerful platform for youth empowerment and social change,” the organisation said.
“As the founder of the Botlhale Boikanyo Foundation, she has dedicated her work to amplifying young voices, championing education and self-expression, and inspiring a new generation of African changemakers through the power of storytelling.”
Reacting to the announcement, Boikanyo described the appointment as an opportunity to turn years of advocacy into regional action.
“My hope and dream is to live in a world where every young person, especially women and girls, has the freedom and opportunities to shape their own future and is included in the rooms where decisions about their lives are made,” she said.
“Being a UNFPA Champion is another step towards turning that vision into reality. It is an opportunity to amplify the voices of young people through storytelling across our region, and advocate for investments that uphold the rights, dignity, well-being and potential of every young person everywhere.”
The appointment comes at a significant moment for Africa, where young people make up one of the largest youth populations globally but continue to face challenges including unequal access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities and participation in policy-making. UNFPA believes that investing in young people is essential to achieving sustainable development and views their leadership as central to shaping the continent’s future.
The International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994, marked a turning point in global development by placing human dignity, reproductive rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and young people at the centre of development policies. The Programme of Action adopted by 179 governments continues to guide UNFPA’s work, with the agency striving to achieve a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
