Following a clarion call by the youth during the 2021 African Governance Architecture (AGA) Regional Youth Consultations, the AGA under the auspices of the AGA Youth Engagement Strategy spearheaded the development of a Comprehensive Guide and Facilitator and Participants Manuals on Youth Participation in Political and Electoral Processes in Africa. The Guide and accompanying Manuals were developed in collaboration with the Common Market for East and Southern Africa Secretariat (COMESA) with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation- SDC. The manuals underwent a painstaking research, review, and validation process with the full involvement of youth leaders and experts across the five regions of the continent.
Enhancing Youth Political Participation Throughout The Electoral Cycle
Young people between the ages of 15 and 25 constitute a fifth of the world’s population. While they are often involved in informal, politically relevant processes, such as activism or civic engagement, they are not formally represented in national political institutions such as parliaments and many of them do not participate in elections. This can impact on the quality of democratic governance. The inclusion of youth in formal politics is important, as the 2011/2012 Arab States popular uprisings and various Occupy movements have demonstrated. In countries in transition, fresh ideas and new leadership can help to overcome authoritarian practices. Where youth-led protests have forced authoritarian regimes from power, significant frustration is likely to arise if youth are not included in new formal decision-making. This can destabilize democratization and accelerate conflict dynamics.