Youth in Africa: Rebels without a Cause but not without Effect

Abstract

This article examines basic patterns of Africa’s demography and urbanization and examines the consequences of runaway population growth since the mid-twentieth century for Africa’s economies, educational systems, urban planning, public health, transport sectors, and other domains. The nexus between population age structure and the likelihood of civil strife is discussed, with a reference to the “child soldier phenomenon” south of the Sahara. The youth crisis in Africa, as elsewhere, is not merely the upshot of a very young age pyramid, but more importantly, the upshot of the failure of capacious young cohorts to “accomplish” adulthood. Finally, this article presents policy implications regarding the impact of youth demographics on the likelihood of sustainable democracy.