Pan-African youth leadership in digital age

AFRICA is the youngest continent on earth, with over 70% of its population under the age of 30 (African Development Bank, 2021).

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Yet this demographic advantage - often celebrated with ceremonial fanfare during annual Youth Month observances - remains largely untapped.

Behind the ritualistic drumbeats and cultural performances that typically mark these occasions lies a stark reality: across the continent, youth - especially young women and rural girls - face systemic marginalisation that restricts their access to education, political influence, and economic opportunity.

The case of northern Cameroon

Cameroon's ratification of major international conventions on gender equality - including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has not prevented deep inequalities from persisting, particularly in the North, Adamaoua, and Far North regions.

These areas are marked by enduring patriarchal norms that place minimal value on girls’ education. As documented by Fadimatou Sali (2022), pervasive stereotypes — including beliefs that educated girls become unmarriageable — systematically drive early school dropouts, child marriage, and lifelong economic dependence.

This exclusion transcends gender issues; it represents a fundamental development crisis that undermines the region's entire economic potential. When half the population is systematically excluded from education and formal economic participation, entire communities suffer the consequences.

From digital resistance to civic reinvention

Urban youth across the continent are writing a different narrative entirely. Digital connectivity and cross-border solidarity networks have enabled them to organise sophisticated resistance movements against authoritarianism, inequality, and systemic exclusion. Social media platforms, encrypted messaging apps, and online organising tools have democratised access to information and coordination capabilities that previous generations could only dream of.