Rachel E. Mims, Senior Program Manager on the Citizen Participation & Inclusion team supporting NDI’s global youth portfolio.
Africa’s young people are a strong political force, as demonstrated by a rise in social movements and political protests across the continent, such as the movement for democracy and term limits in Uganda, the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria, and demonstrations protesting the military coup in Sudan. However, young people continue to be excluded from decision-making. The erosion of the rule of law across the continent, exemplified by attempts to amend or eliminate presidential term limits, will undoubtedly have the largest impact on the current generation. Without the fundamentals of constitutionalism embodied in elections, institutions, and the rule of law, citizens – particularly groups who are marginalized and excluded from politics – will look beyond democracy for solutions to pressing public problems.
