Africa still has, and will continue to have, the youngest population in the world. This gives us two imperatives to work with adolescent and young Africans. Firstly, they make up the majority, or a significant portion, of the people of Africa. Their lives are important, and the life-phase of adolescence is not just a pipeline to adulthood – rather it is half of childhood. It is also one of two key gamechanger opportunities in childhood for intervening to mitigate underdevelopment in earlier childhood, and to mentor teens through the enormous physical, emotional, and brain changes that happen during adolescence, and shepherd them towards safe, confident adulthood.
On a macro scale, Africa’s young population has implications for development. In many countries this youth bulge means that the working-age population is growing rapidly. If demographic transitions can be supported in these countries, and if investments are made in education, health, jobs, reproductive rights, and good governance, Africa can still ride the wave of a demographic dividend. Given the increasing gap in recent decades between global growth and economic growth in Africa, the potential boost of a demographic dividend is much needed to reduce global inequalities.
This dividend is not assured, however, and there remain many challenges that could derail its realization. Many African countries are not creating enough decent jobs; education and skills development are lagging behind population growth; gender gaps and high rates of youth unemployment are persistent issues; and political instability in some regions makes long-term planning difficult. Across the continent member states are not succeeding fast enough on building human capital. Inter-generational poverty and inadequate investment are leading to children with low physical growth and inadequate brain development struggling to learn to read and write at acceptable levels, and this in turn leads to unacceptable school dropouts and nationally inadequate educational outcomes. This in turn leads to a small skills base and high unemployment, which in turn leads to low productivity growth, inadequate economic growth and national development and so to increasing poverty.
The idea of a demographic dividend is no longer just about Africa’s potential — it’s about urgency. In 2025, Africa is at a crossroads; if sufficient investments are not well made in adolescent and young Africans, the Continent’s youth bulge could become a demographic burden, with rising youth frustration, inequality, and instability.
