Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of encouraging young men and women’s political participation in African countries to achieve gender equality in youth political and civic participation. As the African continent is home to some of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations, it is important that the continent’s young women and men are given the opportunity to participate in the political and civic processes that will shape the future of Africa.
Hence it is essential to establish mechanisms, strategies, tools and systems to address inequalities and increase the political voice of young people, especially young women, such as; awareness initiatives, leadership training, legal and policies frameworks, quotas, youth-led targeted campaigns, mentorship programmes and campaigns finance regulations among others in Africa.
By 2030, young Africans under the age of 35 are expected to account for 75% of Africa’s population. However, young people are conspicuously absent from political institutions and decision-making bodies. It is, therefore, essential to work towards improving their engagement because the future of political and civic engagement depends on them.
The Youth Cafe’ will host a podcast on Youth and women's political and civic engagement in Africa. The podcast will be interactive, and it will take the format of a panel. TYC participated in the pre-summit Global Coalition Forum in Brussels, Belgium, by giving significant input in developing The Menu Of Possible Commitments to help prioritize, facilitate and enhance youth civic and political participation.
The podcast will be informed by the Summit for Democracy Global Coalition Forum 2023 and as a means of putting into action the 33 actionable and specific commitments and recommendations set by The Youth Democracy Cohort. In the podcast, ways to prioritize youth voice in governance, support youth in government, support youth freedom of expression, promote a culture of youth political participation, and promote a culture of human rights amongst the youth will be discussed.
The podcast will provide an opportunity to advocate and reflect on how young people and women can actualize the recommendations as policy options for participating in political and civic engagements in their specific country contexts.