Stakeholders urge youths to fight for political spaces

Stakeholders advocating greater youth involvement in governance have expressed concern over the growing exclusion and marginalisation of young people from decision-making processes across West Africa, warning that the trend is fuelling disillusionment and undermining democratic institutions in the sub-region. The stakeholders voiced these concerns on Tuesday in Abuja at the Next Gen Initiative West Africa Youth Regional Symposium 2026, urging young people to take bold steps and actively participate in the democratic process rather than remain on the sidelines. In his speech, the Nigeria Country Director of the National Democratic Institute, Francis Madugu, urged young people to become more actively involved in governance rather than remaining on the sidelines. Madugu said while many young people believe they have less access to political power than earlier generations of African leaders, greater engagement remains the pathway to influence and leadership. “I think that young people just need to engage more. 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 noted that power mapping, advocacy strategies and practical approaches to civic participation are essential for young people seeking to influence governance and public policy. According to him, youths must remain informed, participate actively and seize opportunities to shape decision-making 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.” Madugu added that active participation remains one of the fundamental principles of democratic practice. “I’ve also learned one thing about democracy and democratic practices. If you engage, if you participate, you will get something,” he said. Also speaking, the Coordinator of the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, Paul Osei-Kuffour, said many young people no longer believe democracy is delivering meaningful results, making them increasingly vulnerable and disengaged from governance processes. According to him, there is an urgent need to examine strategies, tools and mechanisms that can encourage greater youth participation in democratic processes across West Africa. “The conversation today basically highlights the critical challenges that young people are facing. They are facing a lot of exclusion, they