Maha Christopher
Stakeholders advocating greater youth participation in governance have called on young people across West Africa to actively engage in politics and decision making processes, warning that growing exclusion and marginalisation are fuelling disillusionment with democracy.
According to The Punch, the concerns were raised on Tuesday in Abuja during the Next Gen Initiative West Africa Youth Regional Symposium 2026, where participants discussed challenges facing young people and democratic governance in the region.
Speaking at the event, the Nigeria Country Director of the National Democratic Institute, Francis Madugu, urged youths to become more involved in governance rather than remaining on the sidelines.
Madugu said many young people believe they have less access to political power than previous generations of African leaders, but stressed that active participation remains the pathway to influence and leadership.
“I think that young people just need to engage. If you think about names like Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Kwame Nkrumah, Sam Nujoma, it wasn’t served; they engaged and built themselves towards political power,” he said.
He encouraged youths to remain informed, understand power structures and participate actively in civic and political processes.
“I don’t think young people can sit out, stay out and criticise, or say that opportunities were not given. You have to engage.
“Be it across the countries in West Africa or across Africa, my simple answer is engagement, being informed and participation,” he added.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, Paul Osei-Kuffour, expressed concern over growing frustration among young people who feel democracy is failing to deliver meaningful results.
“The conversation today basically highlights the critical challenges that young people are facing. They are facing a lot of exclusion, they are facing a lot of marginalisation, and they are becoming very vulnerable. Young people are also very disillusioned with the fact that democracy is not delivering results,” he said.
Osei-Kuffour called for stronger support systems to help young people mobilise, sustain civic engagement and hold institutions accountable.
He added that the outcomes of the symposium would be documented and used to strengthen collaboration among youth groups across the 15 countries of West Africa.
A panel discussion featuring Jibrin Ibrahim, Chris Fomunyoh and Vera Addo highlighted what participants described as systemic failures driving youth frustration across the continent.
The panelists cited rising poverty, corruption and limited employment opportunities as major factors contributing to youth disillusionment, arguing that many political systems remain disconnected from the realities faced by citizens.
They maintained that democracy and good governance would not be achieved through apathy but through sustained participation, strategic engagement and the use of digital tools to influence public policy.
The symposium brought together youth leaders and democracy advocates from across West Africa to explore ways of strengthening youth participation and promoting democratic governance across the region.
