The Political Challenges of Africa's Youth

Political participation is indispensable in a democracy. Rightly conceived, a democracy requires the eligible population to actively contribute towards the governance and development of their countries. Thus, in a democratic system of governance, power, as the ancient Greek politician, Pericles, said, “is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people”. A democracy is the most inclusive system of governance; despite this, across numerous African democratic states, the youth remain politically under-represented—even while being described as the “agents of change” and the continent’s future. Even the few politically active youths face fundamental challenges. In most cases, their voices are either unheard or wrongly heard. As a result, the role of African youths in building their nations remains invisible. The crucial question to ask is why.