A report released by Afrobarometer has revealed that the voices of African youth are not fully represented in the policy-making process.
The latest report dubbed “African Insights 2024: Democracy at Risk – the People’s Perspective,” said African youth are significantly less likely to express their dissatisfaction and preferences at the ballot box.
According to the report, African youth trail behind older generations by 7 to 12 percentage points in other forms of political engagement.
“But like young citizens throughout the world, young Africans are significantly less likely than their elders to express their dissatisfaction and preferences at the ballot box: 63% of those old enough to vote in their country’s last election say they did so, compared to 78%-84% of older cohorts
“They also trail by 7-12 percentage points in other forms of political engagement, such as joining others to raise an issue and contacting a local government councillor. Taken together, these deficits suggest that the voices of young Africans are not yet fully heard in the continent’s policy processes.”
The report further noted that African youth have identified unemployment and economic management as their top priorities, urging governments to take urgent action to address these issues.
The report also indicated that almost two-thirds (64%) of youth prefer democracy over other kinds of government.
“African youth (aged 18-35) rank unemployment and management of the economy as their top priorities for urgent government action, and large majorities see their governments as failing on these issues (Sanny, van Wyk-Khosa, & Asunka, 2023).”
“On average, almost two-thirds (64%) of youth prefer democracy over any other kind of government. They join older cohorts in rejecting dictatorship (80%) and military rule (65%) but are more likely to accept military takeovers “when elected leaders abuse power for their own ends” (56% of youth vs. 47% of those over age 55).”
“Youth are more likely than their elders to see “most” or “all” officials in the Presidency as corrupt (40%) and to be dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their country (60%).”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
