By Justina Ochieng – Art in Tanzania internship
According to the World Economic Forum’s report, the African youth population is rapidly growing, and by 2050, it is expected to comprise nearly 60% of the world’s youth population. This rapid growth has also brought numerous challenges to the youth. Unemployment has been ranked as the top challenge faced by Africa’s youth today. The biggest challenge the youth face is that they’re often incapable of finding a productive place within society—either within the mainstream education system or satisfactory employment.
The list below also highlights some other challenges faced by youth: unemployment, poor education system, drugs and substance abuse, pressures of materialism, lack of affordable housing, negative stereotyping, pressures of 24-hour social networking, and crime.
Unemployment
The most significant challenge facing Africa’s youth is unemployment. The youth constitute the highest population in Africa, and they are the most vulnerable, less privileged, and unattended to society. Many young people have become victims of negativity and unproductiveness because they are neither in school nor engaged in economic activities. A common saying is, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” This is the reality behind many young people getting into the streets and involving themselves in robbery, drug/substance abuse, violence, etc. The lack of adequate youth employment has made them vulnerable to societal dangers, leaving them with no alternative but to engage in terrible acts that will provide them with money to support their bad habits. To eradicate and/or reduce the high unemployment rate among youth, the government, CSOs, NGOs, youth organisations, and other stakeholders must help engage them in profitable activities, such as educational programs and vocational and entrepreneurial skill training, to make them self-reliant. The opportunity that WAYLead provides to impact and educate youth in leadership positively would advance growth, as participants would give back to their respective communities. There is a need to invest in youth empowerment programs and accelerate awareness to create an environment that enables employment opportunities.
Lack of proper information
Youth constitute a significant part of the population in most African countries. These young people live in a rapidly changing world, facing numerous pressures. I believe one of the most significant problems among African youth is the lack of mental development. Young people, on the whole, experience disquieting irritations, perplexities and adjustment problems due to rapid social change. There is an increase in social vices among the youth, leading to appalling incidences. For such social vices and corrupt acts to be curbed, one’s mind must be developed. Bob Marley once said, “None but ourselves can free our minds.” The current socio-economic conditions in Africa hinder the progress of African youth. Early marriages complicate the lives of young people. Ignorance, illiteracy, and insufficient knowledge about planned parenthood have increased early childbearing. Once our minds are well developed, our way of life will improve.
Poor education system
One of the most significant problems facing Africa’s youth is our educational system, coupled with the lack of good employment opportunities that the academic curriculum prepares graduates for. Africa’s youth find themselves stuck in a cycle of completing school and sitting at home without jobs, mainly because our educational systems prepare us for non-existent white-collar jobs. The very few enterprising youths who venture into entrepreneurship also lack support in training and funding.
Time management
Stress & Time Management. Managing the pressure to succeed in every area of life and finding time to do it all seem to be one of the biggest challenges facing young people today. Young people are expected to succeed, yet few know how to manage their time effectively.
Drugs and substance abuse
Drugs have become one of the core problems facing youths. Out of every ten young people between the age of 16-35 years, seven have once in their lifetime used drugs or still using drugs. Many critics claim that the reason for this may be the stress and depression facing most of them due to unemployment, low self-esteem and worries about their futures. Drugs and substance abuse is rampant,t mainly along the coastal cities and towns of East Africa (Mombasa and Dar es Salaam).
Crime
Due to the challenging economic times we are facing right now and the fact that most of the African population live under a dollar a day, most of the youth have turned to crime to meet their economic needs. Robbery, stealing, burglary, and prostitution are among the top orders of the day. Due to involvement in these outlawed activities in most African countries, most of the victims have found themselves lynched, gunned down or in prison. Everywhere across Africa, especially in the drug-infested regions, very young people lose their lives to crime and crime-related activities. Prostitution is also a problem. Many young women have turned to prostitution to make ends meet. Most cities at night are flocked by young girls selling off their bodies for a dime. The side effects are that most of them end up contracting very deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS. Also, there is the issue of early marriage. Very young girls who are supposed to be in school are sold off to marriages because their guardians are interested in the dowry they get in return. As a result, many girls end up not continuing their education or achieving their dreams.
Female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation is still one of the significant challenges facing young Africans, especially in underdeveloped places. Some tribes in East Africa still consider this act a rite of passage into womanhood. Very innocent girls are subjected to this brutal act against their own will. In the worst scenarios, some girls end up contracting diseases like HIV/AIDS, since you may find that a single scalpel is used to mutilate a bunch of girls without any proper sterilisation of any kind. Also, some girls end up with wounds that affect their sexual life forever.
Social media peer pressure
Peer pressure has also posed a challenge. Most youth struggle to fit in, and as a result, they go the extra mile to prove that they are worthy of recognition and praise from their peers. Most have taken the social media phenomenon too far, faking lifestyles and ending up in outstanding debt to appease their followers on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. People have refused to face their realities and where they stand economically, instead they end up imitating celebrities and other prominent people by the lifestyles they lead. Side effects: some have turned to crime to make ends meet. But we are advised as youth to choose wisely because the streets offer everything, from what’s best for us to what ruins us. Before impressing anyone, we should consider whether there is anything positive we’ve gained from the whole experience.
What is been done to tackle these problems
Thanks to the governments and other concerned parties from the private sector, a lot is being implemented to handle these situations. For example, there are a lot of NGOs advocating the eradication of FGM, the creation of awareness of drugs and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and other chronic problems in the African continent. Due to the rapidly growing unemployment, most youth have turned to entrepreneurship and other creativities to earn a living. New business formations are emerging every day. This has drastically reduced the unemployment and the idleness that comes with it.
Conclusions
Much has been done to address the problems of African youth, but much remains to be done. It is everyone’s responsibility to play a part in bringing the change we want. As the Swahili saying goes, ‘Umoja ni nguvu utangamano ni udhaifu’, we need to unite at all levels of our societies to make a positive impact. The little everyone has, whether it is information, ideas, or something tangible, it will make a difference if used for the right course. We should remember that if we do this with kindness and without expecting anything in return, the benefits will be ours, our children’s, and our grandchildren’s. Karma says that we get what we give. I hope this information will inspire you to be part of this incredible expedition to create a new Africa that we want and will be proud of, and to clear our name from all the stigmatisation and misconceptions we face from the outside world.
