Publication

This brief reviews the African Union’s (AU) normative framework on youth engagement in two areas – democracy and development. The text concludes that 1) the AU has made only limited progress in involving young people in these domains; 2) a major challenge facing the young is unemployment, which then leads them to join rebel movements and undermine stability; and 3) Africa’s large youth population could be a major political-economic benefit for the continent, but only if the AU adopts the right polices and processes on their behalf.