MINDA Founder Gift Komilogbon Represents Nigeria at AFS Youth Assembly in Geneva

Gift Komilogbon, founder of MINDA Health Limited, has represented Nigeria and Africa at the 31st AFS Youth Assembly co-hosted by AFS Intercultural Programs and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), held at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Gift Komilogbon was selected as one of 10 young African leaders for the 2026 Sir Cyril Taylor Young African Leaders Programme, an initiative that brought together emerging African leaders working on social impact and community development.

The AFS Youth Assembly, held at the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, brought together more than 700 young people from over 100 countries under the theme, “Rise. Reimagine. Rebuild: A World for All.”

The Assembly convened young leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society actors, business leaders, policymakers and representatives of international organisations to discuss issues including education, youth leadership, innovation, sustainable development, human rights, mental health and global cooperation.

The Sir Cyril Taylor Young African Leaders Programme received more than 6,000 applications, and selected 10 young Africans based on their leadership, community impact and potential to contribute to positive change across the continent.

Speaking on her participation, Gift Komilogbon described the opportunity as both a privilege and a responsibility, particularly as a young Nigerian working to advance mental health education.

“Being selected as one of 10 young African leaders and having the opportunity to represent my work in a global space like Geneva was both an honour and a responsibility. I was not just going there to attend a conference. I wanted to learn, contribute, and bring the realities and perspectives of young people in Africa into the conversations,” she said.
During the Assembly, Gift Komilogbon participated in the session titled “Idea to Impact: The Rise of the Youth Innovation Ecosystem,” which explored how young people can position themselves as active participants in innovation ecosystems.

The session featured speakers including Zeeshan Suhail of Nestlé, Hadi Barkat, Randall Waechter and Suba Umathevan, who discussed the role of young people in shaping innovation and the importance of stronger connections between young innovators, private organisations and other stakeholders.

According to Gift Komilogbon, one of the key lessons from the session was the importance of young people being confident enough to articulate their needs and ask for what they require to advance their ideas.

“The conversation reminded me that young people need to understand that we are not just beneficiaries within the innovation ecosystem. We are part of the ecosystem. We need to be confident enough to say what we want, ask for what we need and position ourselves as contributors to the solutions we are trying to build,” she said.
She also noted the growing recognition of the youth agenda within the private sector, particularly as organisations increasingly integrate youth-focused priorities into their strategies and programmes.

Gift Komilogbon was also selected as a speaker for “Shape the Future of SDG 4 and the SDGs: An Open Fishbowl Dialogue,” where she contributed to discussions on the future of education and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking during the dialogue, she advocated for the integration of mental health education into school curricula, drawing from her experience working with young people through MINDA.

She said mental health should not only be addressed when students are already experiencing serious challenges but should become part of the knowledge and skills young people acquire through the education system.

“My position is that we cannot continue to talk about quality education without talking about the mental wellbeing of the people receiving that education. Mental health education should be part of what young people learn in school. They should have the language to understand what they are experiencing, recognise challenges early and know where to seek help,” she said.
Gift Komilogbon also participated in the “OK Today Mental Health” session, which explored conversations around mental wellbeing, as well as the Effect+ Community Workshop, which focused on understanding social problems, identifying who is affected and developing approaches to creating meaningful community impact.

She said the different sessions provided an opportunity to examine her work from multiple perspectives, particularly across mental health, education, innovation and community development.

The Assembly also provided opportunities for participants to engage with global leaders from the private sector, international development, health, policy and philanthropy.
Among the notable participants were Christoph Selig, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship, DHL Group; Ernesto Rey-Moreno, Chair of the Board of Trustees, AFS Intercultural Programs; Ekkehard Ernst, Chief of the Macroeconomic Policy and Jobs Unit at the International Labour Organization (ILO); Richard Magid, Founder and President, The Soundboard Impact Foundation; Stefan Weber, Vice President, Global Policy, Advocacy and Health, AstraZeneca; Hadi Barkat, Founder and CEO, HELVETIQ; Amelia U. Santos-Paulino, Chief of the Investment Research Section, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD); and William Gertz, Chairman, American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) and Trustee of the Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation.

Representatives and experts from the United Nations, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and other international institutions also participated in the programme.

Reflecting on the experience, Gift Komilogbon said the opportunity provided new perspectives on how young people can contribute to global conversations while strengthening her commitment to advancing mental health education in Nigeria.

“Geneva allowed me to see the work I am doing from a much bigger perspective. I met young people solving different problems across different parts of the world, and I also had the opportunity to speak about an issue that is very important to me — mental health education. I am returning with new ideas, new relationships and an even stronger conviction that we have to continue building solutions that work for our communities,” she said.

Gift Komilogbon is the founder of MINDA Health Limited, a youth-focused mental health organisation working across education, community development, policy and technology. Through MINDA, she has developed initiatives aimed at improving mental health awareness and education among young people and creating more supportive environments for youth wellbeing.

Her participation at the AFS Youth Assembly provided an opportunity to showcase the importance of mental health education while bringing an African perspective to international conversations around education, youth development and sustainable development.

For Gift Komilogbon, the Geneva experience reinforced the importance of young Africans moving beyond participation to actively shaping conversations and solutions that affect their communities and the wider world.