Facts & Figures Of Africa Youth Agency, Challenges And Recovery Roadmap On COVID-19

The African Youth Charter defines youth or young people as “every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years”. Around 60% of Africa’s population was under the age of 25 in 2019 which means that it is estimated that in 2020 out of the total population of Africa which is 1.340 billion, 254 million are between the ages of 15-24 years. 

 The identity of this group is complex, although it is common to associate them as young people in school or higher education. It includes people that are in formal education, informal education, unemployed, employed informal labour, employed in informal labour, vulnerable people, parents, caregivers and the list goes on. Therefore, data on the lived experiences of young people is additionally complex as it is dependent on the context in which they are in.

Over the course of 6 months the Africa Youth Group on Coronavirus (AYFC), composed of representatives from youth networks, civil society organizations, social entrepreneurs, student unions, national youth councils, and AU Youth boards have canvassed the views of African youth on a range of COVID-19 related issues.

These engagements form the basis of the COVID-19 Recovery Roadmap which highlights the key policy and structural barriers that must be addressed in order to ensure that life post-COVID-19 does not return to “business as usual” but rather that a new normal is established. One characterized by equitable justice for all, inclusive thriving economies, the protection of vulnerable communities and inter-generational co-leadership.

This paper draws on several months of national, regional, and continental youth consultations hosted by the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy (OYE) in collaboration with Africa CDC. These include the virtual youth consultations held from 23rd March 2020 to 11 June 2020; as well as focus group consultations carried out by member networks of the African Youth Front. The aim of these consultations were to collect opinions and recommendations from youth leaders, with a view to inform policy briefs that were shared with Africa CDC. The consultations collected original data from online discussions with participants using Zoom and Facebook Live, as well as polls and surveys.

The Youth Cafe hosted a series of virtual events to address issues that have emerged among youths as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. To explore more, visit our COVID-19 and Youth Page.