Africa’s rising Gen Z movements are putting governments under pressure. Young people on the continent say they want a real place in shaping their countries’ futures, yet many feel excluded by leaders far older than them. Their frustration is spilling into streets from Madagascar to Morocco, and new survey data points to fast-falling trust in institutions.
South Africa used its G20 presidency this year to push youth involvement more than any previous summit. The Y20 process – created in 2010 to bring young people into G20 debates – took on new urgency, given that Africa has the world’s largest population under the age of 30.
