10 African countries where youth feel their country is on the wrong track

Africa is a continent blessed with abundant natural resources and a young, dynamic population. With the majority of its people being under the age of 25, it has immense human potential.

However, many African countries are still falling behind compared to the rest of the world. Issues like corruption, poor leadership, and bad economic decisions have held things back, leaving a lot of young people frustrated and worried about where their countries are headed.

For this younger generation, whose lives are just beginning, these challenges are more than abstract concepts, they directly impact their opportunities, future, and well-being.

Protests like #EndSARS in Nigeria and demonstrations against the Finance Bill in Kenya illustrate how young people are taking a stand against systems they feel are failing them.

Yet, despite these significant challenges, African youth remain hopeful and ambitious, according to the 2024 African Youth Survey.

The poll commissioned by the Johannesburg-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation surveyed 5,604 people between the ages of 18 and 24 in Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Many report feeling more concerned (34%) than pessimistic (9%) about their countries’ future, believing that their standard of living will improve.

Eighty-three per cent of them said they are concerned about corruption at home, and 62 per cent believe the government is failing to address it.

The poll however showed nearly 58 per cent of young people saying they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to consider emigrating to another country in the next three years.

More than half, or 55 per cent, of those polled, said Africa was headed in the “wrong direction”, although there was a modest rise to 37 per cent in “Afro-optimism” from the 2022 survey.

According to survey, 94% of Nigerian youth believe their country is headed in the wrong direction. In Cameroon, 89% of young people share this concern, while 79% of youth in Congo Brazzaville express similar doubts about their nation’s trajectory.