Introduction
The young population is the engine of progress and history, as each new generation brings more and more talent to the population. A significant increase in the young population and an organic decline in the old indicate a prosperous region that skillfully harnesses the potential of youth. The involvement of the young population in political, educational, and social activities is the country’s task for its development and constant progress. A young population makes a country better, more economically stable, socially, and environmentally prosperous. In African countries, most of the population belongs to the young generation, so young talents should be used for prosperity.
Young of Africa
Among the many factors that potentially hinder a country’s emergence and development is stagnation or a waiting period in which the younger generation cannot get jobs. Such stagnation is described by Alcinda Honwana (2012), who empathizes with young people having difficulty getting involved in the country’s civic life. She believes that the waiting process is the main limitation to development that the African population will have to face if they want to aspire to the future.
Moreover, she says that the job crisis is not just a problem for developing countries in Africa, but also for Europe and North America. In this sense, young African people are like all other people, but their cultural and historical experience sets them apart. The waiting generation in Africa has waited too long and can now develop their countries, creating a new chapter of history and making the future diverse and exciting. Young people struggle with job uncertainty, social and family status, and education. However, Alcinda Honwana is confident that these young people can overcome these limitations and find a way to develop.
Limitations in realizing oneself as part of society and as a civic unit are substantial in Africa. However, they still cannot completely stop the young generation from striving for development. Nanjala Nyabola (2018) discusses how digital technology has changed the way of life in Kenya, allowing young minds to push the country toward new cultural and technological advances. She notes that digitalization has changed young people’s perceptions of their identity, social vulnerability, and societal role. This will continue to push young people to develop an understanding of their capabilities and broaden their horizons.
Nevertheless, Nyabola (2018) is concerned that the flowering of technology can negatively affect democracy, and therefore, youth need efforts to counteract harmful practices. On this basis, the main opportunities for the young generation in Africa are based on the availability of conditions for growth. Apart from these people, no one else can develop the region, as experience has taught them a phase of stagnation and cultural discredit. The opportunity for Africa’s new generation is to demonstrate its potential and fight for identity.
Conclusion
Thus, Africa’s young populations have been in a containment phase for a long time, so their capabilities and potential have been muted. The stagnation phase taught young people patience and understanding and allowed them to explore themselves, for only in this way could they transcend limitations. The lack of work led to increased social responsibility, and now the younger generation is ready to develop. They are realized through technology and communication, spreading their cultural experience and constantly redefining it. Perhaps the main strength of the younger generation is the realization that it is entirely their responsibility for the country’s future and that prosperity cannot be achieved without work and labor.
References
Honwana, A. M. (2012). The time of youth: Work, social change, and politics in Africa. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Nyabola, N. (2018). Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet era is transforming politics in Kenya (African arguments). Zed Books.