Reflections on 20 years of the African Youth Charter
Twenty years ago, the African Union adopted the African Youth Charter, promising young people a real role in shaping the continent. So, twenty years on, are young Africans empowered? The 2026 African Youth Survey offers one answer.
There is progress. Of the 4,901 young people aged 18 to 24 surveyed across 16 countries in March 2026, 51% said they feel optimistic or excited about their country’s future, up from 35% in 2024. But the gap between countries is wide. In Rwanda and Burkina Faso, 91% feel hopeful. In South Africa, where I study, it is 25%. In Mozambique, it is just 15%.
Jobs, prices and safety all shape these numbers. But when I look at the countries at the top, I notice something else: young people there can see someone they relate to getting things done.
In Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré is 38, far younger than most leaders on the continent. Since 2022, the country has taken greater control of its gold mines, backed local industries and started Faso Mebo, a programme that builds roads and cities using local resources. Young Burkinabè can see someone close to their age leading, and they can see the roads going up.
In Rwanda, the Minister of Sports, Nelly Mukazayire, studied economics and worked her way up. In October, Rwanda won a ten-year deal to host Formula One’s African Grand Prix, the first on the continent since 1993. A young woman in Kigali can look at her and think: if she did it, I can too. The survey was done before that win, so I suspect the number is even higher now.
This is what empowers young people: seeing someone like them succeed. And it does not have to be someone in power. Since coming to UCT from Malawi, much of my own inspiration has come from my classmates. It is rarely something big. It is how seriously they take their work, how they present themselves and speak, and their work ethic. When a peer does something well, I think: if they did it, I can too.
This is also where we are falling short, in two ways. First, too few young people hold visible roles where real decisions are made. We are invited to speak at events, then left out when it matters, and where young people see no one like them succeeding, hope is harder to hold on to. Second, when a peer does succeed, we often treat it as competition instead of inspiration. We compare ourselves, and we miss the lesson.
So the next twenty years should fix both. To those who can open doors, whether employers, universities or community leaders: give young people real roles where others can see them succeed. To young Africans: treat a peer’s success as proof, not a threat. Look beyond your own country too. In a digital world, it has never been easier to learn from young people across borders. And when your turn comes, do the work well. Someone younger is watching, and deciding whether they can do it too.
