Young Africans are locked in peace and security
Despite the challenges of unemployment, corruption, fossilized political leadership and political violence, many young Africans have found constructive ways to promote peace, effective governance and reform.
Africa remains the worlds most youthful continent; It has an average age of 19. 7 years old. By 2050, one in three young people will live in sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, 80-90 per cent of African workers continue to work in the informal sector. Every year, 10-12 million young Africans enter the labour market, but only three million formal jobs are provided annually. Meanwhile, nearly half of African States rank in the bottom quarter of Transparency Internationals Corruption Perception Index. These trends highlight growing social pressures.
In the face of confusing unemployment among young people and widespread dissatisfaction with their governments performance, young Africans are growing increasingly concerned. This concern is reflected in the growing tensions between fossilized and nepotism-based authoritarian political leaders and a growing group of young people calling for reform and greater political openness. In short, there are starkly different visions of Africas future.
Without a path to reform, young people will remain in desperation, conditions will deteriorate further and this may lead to further instability and conflict. However, most African youth did not choose the path of violence. Many have led unprecedented numbers of protests in Africa in recent years. This raises the question of how young people can meaningfully and constructively participate in their countries and demand reforms and improved security. The following are some existing initiatives led and advocated by young Africans, aimed at channelling the energy and passion of young Africans towards positive impact.
Conflict resolution and peacebuilding
There are 16 African countries currently mired in major armed conflicts while others face various forms of violence and political instability that undermine the social fabric of African societies. These conflicts impede development and economic growth and place further pressure on young Africans ability to access jobs. Despite all these challenges, young Africans are engaged in a variety of activities aimed at resolving these conflicts and building greater social cohesion. These efforts have harnessed young Africans talents and creativity and directed them to rebuild social ties, promote dialogue and facilitate recovery and reconciliation.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has faced decades of conflict and political instability, young people are leading efforts to reform social ties. The National Partnership for Children and Youth in Peacebuilding, a group of Congolese organizations based in Goma, uses the arts to promote peace and coexistence. Goma, in the troubled province of North Kivu, has experienced difficult levels of political violence since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Despite this inhospitable environment, the National Partnership for Children and Young Peoples initiative continued to harness the arts not only to build peace and promote recovery, but also to empower young people who have experienced conflict and associated trauma. Musicians, poets and artists participate in this initiative to express themselves creatively, providing a basis for dialogue. These efforts have fostered mutual trust and coexistence among young people from different backgrounds. It also opened up space for further dialogue on their role in consolidating peace.
In South Sudan, young people use sport to build peace and mutual trust between warring tribes engaged in cattle theft. For decades, South Sudan has suffered from political conflicts as well as communal violence linked to cattle theft and the abduction of women and children. Through the Wrestling for Peace initiative, South Sudans South Sudan Wrestling Entertainment - a local organization founded and led by young people from South Sudan - uses indigenous wrestling to promote the peaceful coexistence of South Sudans multiple tribes, particularly in Jonglei, Lakes and Eastern and Central Tropical States. A short documentary by Weiss Sports illustrates the initiatives impact on promoting peace at grass-roots levels. The initiative brings wrestlers from cattle camps and brings them to Juba to participate in a month-long competition. Apart from the tournament itself, side events are organized between youth leaders and heads of different communities. Ticket prices are also charged to viewers who come to watch matches, which helps finance the initiative. Through participation in this programme, young people from competing communities have developed long-term relationships that have contributed to conflict resolution and management at the local level.
In Nigeria, where ethnic and religious violence has corrupted parts of Africas most populous countries, young people are working hard to promote peace through cultural exchanges and interreligious events. The Centre for Equality and Equity, an organization of Nigerian civil society organizations, provides online courses for youth and activists to participate in interfaith dialogue with a view to reducing interfaith violence. This initiative, launched in 2019, has expanded peacebuilding efforts. The program, which has been organized virtually by default since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, targets young people aged 18 to 29 and encourages them to understand other cultures by learning about different languages and religions. The programme aims to combat extremism, which uses religion as a weapon, as exemplified by Boko Haram, which has destroyed parts of north-eastern Nigeria. The aim is to promote religious tolerance and combat ethnic polarization by providing mutual understanding.
Governance and accountability
The inability of many African Governments to fulfil their role and provide services to their citizens has contributed significantly to heightened tensions between reformist youth and an older generation of political actors exercising power through exclusion policies. This is reflected in the pattern of corruption that has plagued many African Governments. Five of the worst ten in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perceptions Index are from Africa.
In order to promote accountability and good governance, the Open Governance Institute, a Kenya-based budget and policy research organization, empowers young people, women and civil society groups to participate directly at the local level in Kenyas decentralized government. The Open Governance Institute implements research and provides training opportunities for young people to contribute to budget prioritization and feedback in the use of resources to achieve stated goals. This participation of young people has helped align resources with the priorities set by citizens as well as enabling them to monitor the implementation of planned activities.
The Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS), a continent-wide think tank based in South Africa, offers election-focused civic education and governance to young people through regional education centres across Africa. The Youth Programme on Elections and Governance is one of the four core programmes run by the Mandela Institute for Development Studies. It aims to help young Africans understand the strength of their numbers and how they can benefit from this to bring about positive change. Specifically, the programme enables young people to understand how some political leaders use exclusion policies to undermine democracy on the continent. The Mandela Institute for Development Studies also encourages increased youth participation in electoral processes and cultivation of ethical and adaptive leadership qualities in Africas next generation of leaders. Undermining democratic governance and accountability has not only fuelled violence in many African countries, but has frustrated the desire of the majority of African citizens, including young people.
The Network for Justice and Development movement and the Kenema County Youth Coalition use participatory videos to encourage dialogue among Sierra Leonean youth on governance issues. Through an initiative known as "Advocacy through participatory videos", these organizations teach young people how to record and use videos to engage in constructive exchanges with local government authorities. Young peoples groups and communities then produce videos on issues that concern them. As they develop their films, they build an indisputable narrative about the challenges facing young people and use the power of storytelling to mobilize themselves and interact with local government officials. The initiative resulted in increased dialogue between youth and local government representatives, which improved governance outcomes.
Transforming things for the best for young people and their communities
The increasing injustice caused by poor governance and abuse of power particularly affects young people. Their challenge is to use the tension between the old ruling generation and the new generation to engage constructively rather than destructively. This tension thus gives young people an opportunity to highlight their role and participate directly and positively.
Despite the continents enormous challenges, young people across Africa find ways to contribute constructively. Through these initiatives, young people not only learn and increase their abilities, but also effectively seek to turn things around for themselves and their communities.
Creativity and diversity in initiatives involving African youth to promote peacebuilding and good governance demonstrate young peoples ability to innovate and solve problems. Despite the general exclusion of young people in decision-making, there are other opportunities for them to be heard and to be able to drive change. These opportunities can lead to meaningful engagement that contributes to improved governance and security even when the situation seems hopeless.
Source: Africa Center for Strategic Studies
