Question isn’t if youth are ready to lead, but if we’re ready to follow

Africa’s youth should not be treated as a risk to manage. They are the engine of the continent’s future. 

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Africa is young, restless, and rising. More than 400 million Africans today are aged between 15 and 35 - and the number keeps climbing. In a few years, nearly 40 percent of all young people in the world will be African. That’s not a distant projection. It’s a present reality that’s reshaping the continent and demanding attention.

This is not a future scenario. It is already shaping our cities, our politics, and our economies in ways that cannot be ignored. What should be our greatest asset is being neglected, underutilised, and increasingly pushed to the margins.