Africa at a Tipping Point - 2017 Forum Report | Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Publisher:: Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Publication Date:: 7 April 2017
Tags:: Africa, Children and Youth, Economy, Business and Finance, Labour, Sustainable Development

Between 2015 and 2050, Africa's youth will almost double, from 230 to 452 million. The fastest growing African economies have not created enough jobs for youth. By 2050, half of Africa's population will be below 25 years old. In 2016, the average age of African presidents is 66, while the average median age of the continent's population is 20. Of the 25 fastest growing economies in the world between 2004 and 2014, ten are African. Nearly 30 million young Africans were unemployed in 2015. In 2015, four African countries featured in the global top ten for the highest terrorism levels: Nigeria, Somalia, Egypt, Libya. Between one-third and a half of the tertiary educated populations of Kenya, Uganda, Liberia, Mozambique and Ghana leave their country. A majority of African citizens trust religious leaders, the army and their traditional leaders more than their elected representatives. Over a decade, the number of terrorist attacks on the African continent has increased by more 1,000%. On average, almost half of the African population is currently still below the legal voting age. For more than a quarter of Africa's population the leader has not changed for the last ten years, and often much longer. Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda have still not ratified the 2004 Protocol to the 1999 AU Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism. 56 African Heads of State have left office over the last decade, including nine that died in office and 13 stepping down following a coup, an arrest or an uprising. Less than a quarter of Africa's youth is "very interested in public affairs". Over a decade the number of protests and riots have increased more than tenfold.

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Africa at a Tipping Point - 2017 Forum Report | Mo Ibrahim Foundation

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