Beyond rhetoric: Engaging Africa’s youth in democratic governance

The document examines the African Union's (AU) efforts to integrate youth into democratic governance, highlighting the African Governance Architecture-Youth Engagement Strategy (AGA-YES) and the African Youth Charter. It argues that despite these frameworks, young people remain largely alienated and marginalised, facing significant barriers such as unemployment and restrictive legislation. The brief details findings from 2016 regional consultations, noting that youth often lack knowledge of the AU human rights system and face systemic hurdles like prohibitive age requirements for political office. It recommends that member states domesticate AU shared values, repeal discriminatory laws, and move beyond tokenistic engagement to harness the potential of Africa's youth demographic.

• Africa possesses the youngest population globally, with approximately 65% of the total population under the age of 35. This demographic is described as a "double-edged sword" because it can either drive innovation and economic growth or, if poorly managed, fuel instability and violent conflict.
• There is a significant disconnect between the AU's normative frameworks—such as the African Youth Charter and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance—and the actual experience of youth. The document asserts that binding and non-binding frameworks often fail to practically realise their promises.
• Unemployment is a critical barrier to youth engagement and a driver of conflict; research indicates that 50% of young people who join rebel movements cite unemployment as their primary motivation.
• Regional consultations in 2016 revealed that many young people have limited understanding of the African human rights system and lack the institutional mechanisms necessary for effective participation in governance.
• Youth face specific legal and structural hurdles to political participation, including prohibitive age requirements for voting and running for office, as well as high fees for elective candidates.
• The African Union has implemented programmatic initiatives to increase youth professional experience, such as the AU Youth Volunteer Corps (AU-YVC), which has seen over 150 participants, with approximately 50% being retained within AU Commission departments.
• Youth-led movements in specific countries demonstrate the potential for transformational governance, such as the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign in Nigeria and the Fees Must Fall and Rhodes Must Fall movements in South Africa.

APA

Tracey, L., & Kahuthia, E. (2017). Beyond rhetoric: Engaging Africa’s youth in democratic governance. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief99.pdf

Chicago

Tracey, Lauren, and Edward Kahuthia. Beyond rhetoric: Engaging Africa’s youth in democratic governance. Institute for Security Studies, 2017. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief99.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tracey |first1=Lauren |last2=Kahuthia |first2=Edward |title=Beyond rhetoric: Engaging Africa’s youth in democratic governance |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2017 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief99.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tracey2017beyond, author = {Tracey, Lauren and Kahuthia, Edward}, title = {{Beyond rhetoric: Engaging Africa’s youth in democratic governance}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief99.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }