Africa Scout Day

Africa Scout Day is celebrated annually on March 13. It was officially established by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity (replaced by the African Union in 2002) in 1995 to recognize the Scout movement in Africa.

The Scout movement was founded by British Army officer Robert Baden-Powell in 1907. Baden-Powell used his experience in military reconnaissance to create a program of informal education for boys with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities.

Outside the United Kingdom, the movement was quickly established in several colonies of the British Empire, including South Africa. The first Scout troops were created in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Natal in 1908. Due to the segregation policy, there were separate Scout groups for black and white boys.

From South Africa, Scouting began to spread throughout the continent. On March 13, 1963, Scout leaders from around sub-Saharan Africa gathered in the Nigerian capital of Lagos to discuss the formation of the organization that would unite African Scouts. Today, the anniversary of this meeting is celebrated as the birthday of the Africa Scout Region and as Africa Scout Day.

The Africa Scout Region supports and coordinates National Scout Organizations (NSOs) in sub-Saharan Africa. It has 40 member NSOs and seven potential members. Its members include NSOs from Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland (eSwatini), Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The potential members are the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Djibouti, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, and Somali.