Young Mozambicans, Ethiopians, Zimbabweans and Ugandans are offended that job opportunities are being given to regime supporters in their countries and say they do not have a significant voice, according to the study.
A study by Lovise Aalen and Marjok Oster analyzing the relationship between Africa’s youth population and authoritarian regimes, published in The Conversation, indicates that “the institutions created to enable young people to participate have been aggregated” and are not independent of governments.
The study finds that some young people are expressing their dissatisfaction in democracy protests, as happened in Mozambique in October 2023, but overall young Africans are “not saving democracy” or resisting “the trend of deepening autocratization.” on a continent where incumbent governments are increasingly concentrating power.”
The authors cite examples of what happened in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Uganda.
In Mozambique, the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO) has won every election since 1994, the year of the first multi-party elections.
The investigation concludes that the party has concentrated power and resources in the hands of the political elite, that young people remain underrepresented and have serious difficulties accessing resources.
This fact, according to the authors, in addition to other conflict dynamics, contributed to the uprising in the northern region of Cabo Delgado starting in 2017.
In Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF has been in power since the country gained independence in 1980 and, according to the study, uses the fact that it participated in the liberation war of the 1970s to maintain its power. He creates narratives around the country’s liberation history and patriotism and accuses the “born free” generation of betraying the liberation war.
This will discredit any grievances that young Zimbabweans may feel, they say.
Youth-led protests in Ethiopia contributed to the 2018 fall of the party that had been in power since 1991 and brought Abiy Ahmed to power. According to the authors, mobilization among young people has since died down.
“Only supporters have access to job creation programs. There has also been a militarization of youth-dominated ethnic movements. This happened, for example, with the Fano Amhara group during the war in Tigray in 2020-2022,” the study claims.
Uganda has been a pioneer in institutionalizing youth participation in decision-making. However, research shows that youth involvement in political structures is seen by the Ugandan government as a tool of control.
In authoritarian contexts such as these, efforts to empower young people can be easily manipulated to benefit the regime, the investigation found.
Some young people may take advantage of the opportunities offered, while others may resist them. Some seize opportunities hoping they serve their own interests rather than those of the regime. However, this can reproduce forms of clientelism, he points out.
Africa is the continent with the largest youth population in the world. It is estimated that by 2030, 75% of Africa’s population will be under 35 years of age. By 2080, the number of young Africans aged 15 to 24 is expected to reach 500 million.
Niger is the youngest country in the world, with a median age of 14.5 years, while South Africa, Seychelles, Tunisia and Algeria have a median age of over 27 years.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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