Africa’s Diverging Approaches to Youth Inclusion and Participation

The document examines the gap between Africa's youth-related policy frameworks, such as the African Youth Charter, and the reality of youth participation in governance. It argues that youth are often treated as mere beneficiaries of services or tokenistic additions to processes rather than empowered stakeholders in decision-making. The author analyzes the role of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in promoting good governance and finds that while recent efforts like the N’Djamena symposium show progress, structural barriers and policy incoherence persist. The paper recommends establishing youth quotas in National Governing Councils and integrating youth into the technical tools and review missions of the APRM to ensure meaningful engagement.

• There is a significant gap and lack of consistency in how youth-related frameworks and policies are interpreted and implemented across Africa, often resulting in tokenistic inclusion rather than meaningful empowerment.
• African youth are frequently viewed by states as recipients of basic services or as a potential security risk, rather than as active stakeholders in agenda-setting and decision-making.
• The African Youth Charter (AYC) has not been universally adopted or domesticated by AU member states, with only 30 of 55 members having signed, ratified, and deposited the charter.
• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has historically lacked youth representation, though recent initiatives like the 2019 N’Djamena symposium and the creation of an Interim Youth Network indicate a shift toward better inclusion.
• National-level implementation of youth policies often suffers from a lack of coordination, insufficient funding, and political interference, as seen in the case of the Kenya National Youth Council.
• Current measures for youth empowerment in Africa are often too narrow, focusing primarily on employment and entrepreneurship while neglecting political and civic participation.

APA

MPUNGOSE, L. (2020). Africa’s Diverging Approaches to Youth Inclusion and Participation. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Occasional-Paper-307-mpungose.pdf

Chicago

MPUNGOSE, LUANDA. Africa’s Diverging Approaches to Youth Inclusion and Participation. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Occasional-Paper-307-mpungose.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MPUNGOSE |first1=LUANDA |title=Africa’s Diverging Approaches to Youth Inclusion and Participation |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Occasional-Paper-307-mpungose.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mpungose2020africas, author = {MPUNGOSE, LUANDA}, title = {{Africa’s Diverging Approaches to Youth Inclusion and Participation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Occasional-Paper-307-mpungose.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }