PP98: From aspiration to action: Barriers to youth empowerment in Africa – Afrobarometer

Let the people have a say
Africa has the world’s youngest population, with more than 400 million people between the  ages of 15 and 35 – a number projected to rise above 830 million by 2050. This sustained  youth bulge will keep the continent demographically young for decades, bringing significant  challenges as well as opportunities, especially in areas such as jobs, education, and  entrepreneurship (African Union, 2025). 
In this context, Africa’s development trajectory increasingly depends on its ability to  participate in the global knowledge economy, where human capital (education and skills)  drives productivity, innovation, and competitive advantage (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa & Oxford Economics Africa, 2023).  Access to quality education is therefore a critical pathway to employment  that provides purpose, dignity, and personal fulfilment – in addition to material security – for the continent’s youth. 
The transition to knowledge-based economies places a premium on post secondary education, vocational or technical training, and specialised  skills that enable workers to adapt to rapidly changing labour markets (International Labour  Organization, 2025). Yet across Africa, young people navigate a complex landscape where  education access, employment opportunities, and personal aspirations often diverge.  Understanding these dynamics – who has access to education, what types of work young  people seek, and what obstacles stand in their way – is essential for policy makers,  development partners, and community leaders working to unlock the potential of Africa’s  youth dividend. 
Young people also play a crucial role in ensuring peace, stability, and democratic  governance on the continent. Democratic progress in Africa has achieved notable gains,  but it has also faced serious setbacks in recent years, particularly in the form of military coups  (Resnick & Signé, 2025). Young people, often at the forefront of political action, have played  a prominent role in contentious politics, from street protests to support for coups, raising  concerns about the resilience of democratic norms on the continent (Bartlett & Akinwotu,  2025). Previous Afrobarometer findings indicate that both support for democracy and  opposition to military rule have weakened over time, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in  the political engagement of younger citizens (Afrobarometer, 2024, 2025). 
Findings from Afrobarometer’s latest round of public-opinion surveys in 38 African countries  show that young Africans (aged 18-35) enjoy greater access to formal education than older  generations, although post-secondary attainment remains highly uneven by country and  gender. We continue to find that educational gains have not translated into commensurate  employment opportunities, with younger youth (aged 18-25) facing the most severe  difficulties in entering the labour market. These challenges are compounded by stark  inequalities across urban and rural areas. African youth identify inadequate training  opportunities, lack of required work experience, and mismatches between available training  and employer skill demands as the primary barriers to employment – highlighting both  supply-side constraints and coordination failures in youth labour markets. 
Young Africans’ aspirations reveal complex and sometimes contradictory preferences. While  a majority would prefer entrepreneurship, those seeking employment favour secure public sector positions, exposing tensions between desires for independence and stability. We also  find that youth express considerably higher interest in emigration than older cohorts, driven  primarily by economic factors, though the relationship between negative perceptions of the  national economy and actual emigration interest proves surprisingly modest. 
Prospects for youth empowerment across the continent appear mixed. Unsurprisingly, young  people prioritise job creation far above other policy areas. However, they are largely critical  of current efforts to promote youth leadership in their communities. Despite widespread  dissatisfaction with the status quo, majorities oppose lowering the voting age, indicating that  youth do not view expanded franchise as the solution to their social and economic problems. This highlights the importance of economic opportunity and meaningful leadership  development, rather than formal political inclusion alone, in empowering young people. 
When it comes to political dispositions, youth attitudes broadly mirror those of older age  groups, including weakening support for democracy and declining rejection of military rule, with regional patterns reflecting recent political developments such as coups. Younger youth  (aged 18-25) are far less likely to vote than their elders, and their civic and political  engagement is driven in part by dissatisfaction with government performance on jobs and  education, manifesting through protest and social media activity. In contrast, older youth  (26-35) appear to be motivated more by democratic norms than grievances. Participation  levels also vary substantially across countries, reflecting differences in political freedoms and  opportunities for civic involvement. 
Rorisang Lekalake is the director of analysis at Afrobarometer.
Sophie Sunderland is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State  University. 
Komi Amewunou is an editor at Afrobarometer.
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