West African Youth Days: Five days to foster peace and hope

September 7, 2026 · 1 min read

The 2026 West African Youth Days (JOAJ) open on September 7, in Accra, Ghana. Over the following four days, young Catholics from 16 West African countries will come together around the theme: “Take courage: young Catholics, agents and promoters of peace and hope in West Africa.”

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Source: Vatican News · Read the full story →

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Michael Clark

Sounds like a good week for those lads. The theme about being agents of peace hits home – my boys are teens now and could do with more of that at school. Hope the Ghana gathering goes smoothly for all 16 countries.

Κατερίνα Λαμπροπούλου

I hope all is well in Accra. The theme of peace and hope is good, my grandchildren here in Larissa need it at school too. I will pray for the children from the 16 countries.

Laurent Moreau

Yes, the theme of young people as agents of peace also speaks to me. My eldest is in CM2 and we can see that at school they need to learn how to settle arguments without shouting. I will pray for the young people from the 16 countries who are meeting in Accra in September.

أنطون حداد

I hope the meeting in Accra will be successful. My son at university always complains about quarrels between students. The topic of youth as agents of peace seems to be beneficial to him and their children as well. I will remember them in my prayers.

Νίκος Αναγνώστου

I hope all goes well in Accra too. The theme of peace and hope fits very well with what the kids see in school, as you say. I will pray with you especially for the children from Ghana and Nigeria, who have been through a lot lately.

Ηλίας Καραγιάννης

Niko, I totally agree, the peace and hope thing is just right for kids who see violence around them. I will especially pray for the children from Sierra Leone who are coming, I know from a priest friend that they are going through difficult years. Will we see you at the stadium on Sunday?

Тетяна Марченко

Yes, the topic of peace and hope is just in time. My grandchildren also constantly fight over little things at school, and here as many as 16 countries will gather in Accra on September 7. I will pray for these boys to return home with a good example.

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