CSAAE is a non-profit dedicated to helping young people build great careers, cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship, become effective leaders and embrace their roles as critical actors in building a better Africa. The Centre pursues its mission through three distinct programs that share the common goal of creating positive social, economic and political change one person at a time. They are:
 An Effective Leaders Program (ELP) that nurtures leaders committed to the common good and development of Africa.
 A Career Building and Entrepreneurship Program (CBEP) that helps young people get the education they need, land dream jobs and build enterprises that contribute to African development.
 A Youth Ethics and Anti-Corruption Program (YEAP) that raises the consciousness of youths to the importance of good governance, human rights, rule of law and anticorruption towards the development of Africa.
The founder of CSAAE, Dr. Godswill Agbagwa (priest, ethicist, socialpreneur and youth animator) grew up in Nigeria. While studying abroad as a graduate student, he was struck by the contrasts he saw between the levels of poverty and underdevelopment in Africa compared to the Western countries he visited. Those experiences became the genesis of CSAAE, its programs, and the five core values at the foundation of his work namely: Accountability, Solidarity, Integrity, Creativity and Punctuality. CSAAE is registered in Nigeria and the United States as a nonprofit. It is an organization in special consultative status with UN ECOSOC. The Centre carries out its operations in Africa from its office in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria with technical support from its head office in Maryland, U.S.A.