IMRAN AFRIDI
JAMRUD The EX-FATA Youth Digital Leadership & Innovation Summit 2026 was successfully held from 8-11 October at Bara Gali Summer Campus, University of Peshawar.
The summit brought together around 40 participants, including youth and young journalists from different districts of merged areas (Ex-FATA).
The summit was organized with the Support of Directorate of Youth Affairs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in collaboration with Pakistan Village Development Program (PVDP), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture & Tourism Authority (KPCTA), FLY – Fostering Leadership in Youth, and District Administration / Deputy Commissioner Khyber.
The main objective was to empower the youth of Ex-FATA with skills in Digital Leadership, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and responsible use of digital platforms including Artificial Intelligence (AI) to promote peacebuilding and conflict resolution in their respective districts.
The summit featured expert trainers including Mr. Abdul Jalil and Mr. Ijaz Afridi.
The youth were first given detailed sessions on digital leadership, digital tools, and innovation for social change. This was followed by group work and practical activities, where participants identified key problems from their concerned districts, developed ommunity action plans, and proposed
digital solutions and tools to mitigate and resolve those conflicts and issues.
Participants appreciated the initiative and termed it a much-needed platform for the youth of Ex-FATA to learn modern skills for positive change. At the end, shields and certificates were distributed among trainers and participants.
