Over the past decade, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of encouraging young men and women’s political participation in African countries to achieve gender equality in youth political and civic participation. As the African continent is home to some of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing populations, it is important that the continent’s young women and men are given the opportunity to participate in the political and civic processes that will shape the future of Africa. It is therefore essential to establish mechanisms, strategies, tools and systems to address inequalities and increase the political voice of young people, especially young women, such as; awareness initiatives, leadership training, legal and policies frameworks, quotas, youth-led targeted campaigns, mentorship programmes and campaigns for financial regulations among others in Africa.

The Youth Democracy Cohort of The Summit for Democracy has developed a Menu of Possible Commitments meant to help prioritize, facilitate, and enhance youth civic and political participation. These 33 actionable and specific recommendations are provided as a set of policy options for participating governments in the Summit for Democracy – as well as other interested governments or international institutions – to choose from to adopt as commitments, reforms, and initiatives to improve youth rights and participation in their national contexts.

This was a hybrid event that took place at The Youth Cafe’s offices located at S1 Kitisuru Gardens, Off Getathuru Rd, Nairobi, Kenya.

• Panelists
• Faith Wambui Nyanjui – Media and Community Officer, The Youth Cafe
• Oliver Mshilla- Policy and Governance Consultant
• Elizabeth Waweru- Political Activist