YOUTH VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION IN AFRICA GOVERNANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, SOAS-CDD, GHANA 09/0513 Presentation by ’Funmi Olonisakin

MEANING/USE OF KEY PHRASES Youth in Africa – people between 15 and 35 Youth bulge – predominance of young people in the population. Exclusion – “left out” or “kept out” from a range of activities and spheres in mainstream life; relegation to the “edge of society” Vulnerability – a risk of falling into disadvantaged, or “dangerous” places, relegation or slide into oblivion

KEY ARGUMENTS Youth exclusion and vulnerability stall development and entrench insecurity Unemployment is not the real issue nor is employment a panacea The “youth bulge” offers an opportunity as well as a challenge for development and security Perception of youth only in negative ways – extremists, violent, radicalized – is damaging for development

KEY MESSAGES Youth: Engage socially constructed definitions Some solutions lie at the “edge” of society Unemployment does not offer adequate explanation for YOVEX; comparable access, living standards, participation in decision-making; societal recognition are also crucial Global assessments of youth in sub-Saharan African must be placed in context e.g. see The Economist, 27 April 2013

KEY MESSAGES Warning: Dangerous intersections between youth bulge, youth exclusion & violence Youth radicalization thrives at these intersections; radicalization here, is not necessarily constructed as a bad thing Narratives that promote and sustain youth radicalization is led by dynamic non-mainstream voices; and doesn’t always produce violence

KEY MESSAGES CONTD Formal leadership lacks real understanding of the challenges of youth & transformation paths The opportunity for transformation lies at “THE EDGE” of society outside of mainstream life

TRENDS: YOUTH BULGE Africa’s youth population will keep rising until 2050 Population of year olds will rise by more than 1/3 rd to 275m by (Source: UN DESA/Pouplation Office) National planning in many cases: misses rapid population rise

TRENDS: YOUTH EXCLUSION Resultant pressure on systems – creates exclusion of youth: poor access to education, health, decent jobs; lack of societal recognition Youth seen “as risk” a threat to be addressed rather than a group “at risk” Many youth “pushed” to the “edge” of the state State approach is “top down”

TRENDS: LIFE AT “THE EDGE” The “edge” offers limitless possibilities opportunities & challenges Informal processes and activities are the heartbeat of life at the edge: networks of social security, trade, creativity, risk Mainstream and officialdom ignore the “edge” at their peril

RESPONSE PATTERNS: WHO CARES? State policies/ responses: More of the same: focus only on formal and mainstream; dismissive of the “informal” and of discourses at “the edge” Reactive, defensive and unimaginative The neglect of the important “intangibles” Pitches one group of youth against another Condemns and fears the unknown “edge”

WHO CARES? NARRATIVES /DISCOURSES AT “THE EDGE” Discourses at the edge: Challenge conventional wisdom with radical ideas Articulate legitimate grievances See mainstream as the foe Propose coping mechanisms Create new/ alternative systems/ solutions Promote creativity and innovation Attract rogue elite; criminal networks – who hijack youth narratives of exclusion

WHY “THE EDGE” MATTERS The bulk of African society now gravitates toward the edge – and relishes its authenticity and opportunities Informality at the edge captures the intangibles that hold solutions But the value and strength of the edge is also its weakness: It is home to the “hijackers” of well intentioned, radical edge-thinking It transmutes innocent radicalization into violence and brutality – sheer terror

“THE EDGE”: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSFORMATION Any serious effort to prevent violent extremism among Africa’s youth must seek to “demystify” life at the edge Officialdom must travel to the edge, embrace the edge and its talents, decriminalize the edge Knowledge of “who and what thrives at the edge”, whose narratives influence, counter the narratives that promote violent extremism is key

DEMYSTIFYING THE EDGE The hope for increased levels of stability social capital, trust and political participation requires: ◦ Genuine connection between the formal and informal; tangibles and intangibles; and mainstream and edge – avoiding parallel systems ◦ Societal recognition for genuine leaders at the edge ◦ Demobilizing “youth veterans” at the edge through credible and meaningful “national service” ◦ Commitment of the elite to invest in such a plan