MORE THAN 50 per cent of Ghanaian youth think the country is moving towards the right direction according to the 2022 African Survey report.
The survey undertaken in 15 African countries including Ghana revealed that 41 per cent of Ghanaian youth do not think the country is moving in the right direction while the other 57 per cent think otherwise.
This is an increase from the 54 per cent recorded in 2019.
On the continent, 34 per cent think the continent is moving in the right direction while the other 55 it is moving in the wrong direction.
“Optimism has declined, but it is a dip rather than a slide as African youth remain optimistic about their personal future and look ahead into an African century. Just under one-in-three youth think that the continent is headed in the right direction, and less than three-in-ten feel that their country is on the right track.
“Overall, only three-in-ten feel positively about the future of their country, while four-in-ten feel negatively and a quarter are uncertain,” the report said.
The report further noted that the African youth’s appetite for democracy is strong, particularly for African-style democracy rather than emulating Western-democratic systems.
Above all else, it stated that the African youth see equality of all citizens under the law, freedom of speech, and free and fair elections as the most important pillars of democracy
The environment was also a key concern for youth and while many were taking action themselves, they were looking to their government to improve their handling of climate change.
“Four-in-five expect governments to do more to address climate change, reduce carbon emissions and adopt greener energy sources.
“In terms of access to water, a third of youth find it difficult to access on a daily basis and nearly half spend more than a quarter of their income on clean water,” the report said.
The 2022 African Youth Survey, funded by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, provides a valuable update on the ‘Afro-optimism’ uncovered in the inaugural research conducted in 2019.
Ivor Ichikowitz, Chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, said this year’s study conveys the challenges of a generation and continent hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but shows their continued resilience and ambition despite the challenges.
“This second edition of the African Youth Survey confirms some of the beliefs we have, shows us emerging trends and warns us too. Africa remains greater than the sum of its parts. The optimism we found in the first survey hasn’t waned, but the level of confidence has in Africa as a whole and in the individual countries where the survey was conducted,” he added.
BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri