Some generations come of age just as their countries rise economically. Think of America’s baby boomers, China’s millennials and perhaps India’s Generation Z. But there is another globally significant cohort that receives far less attention—what this week we call Africa’s “generation hustle”.
The sheer size of this group means that they will shape the world. Over 60% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa are younger than 25. By 2030 half of all new entrants to the “global labour force” will come from sub-Saharan Africa. By 2050 Africa will have more young people than anywhere else.
As countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas age and shrink, Africa’s population will continue to grow and remain youthful. Understanding this generation and their adversities is an urgent matter not just for Africans, but for everyone.
They are likely to surprise you. Young Africans are better educated and, thanks to the internet and social media, more aware of the wider world than their parents were. Unlike previous generations, they have no memories of colonialism. They combine an individualistic, enterprising outlook with piety and a streak of social conservatism. Much of that is bound up in a turn to Pentecostalism and its prosperity gospel, which highlights prayer as a path to material success.
For prosperity is what this generation lacks. They are frustrated with their shortage of opportunities. After a promising burst of activity in the 2000s, much of Africa has since endured over a decade of weak or non-existent growth. Stagnating economies are not creating enough good jobs to fulfil young people’s aspirations.
Young Africans have responded by finding creative ways to make ends meet. Some combine formal work with side hustles. Others juggle multiple gigs in the informal economy. But most would still much rather have a proper job.
Their lack of prospects is a disaster for a continent that badly needs its young people to realise their economic potential. Apart from causing individual anguish, it is also a risk to democratic stability. Young people on the continent are sceptical of the political systems that have failed them. Recent protests in Kenya, Nigeria and Mozambique have shown that their dissatisfaction can threaten governments. Frustration at their lack of opportunities and at politicians’ indifference to their plight is tempting some members of generation hustle to put their hope in strongmen and authoritarian politics.
The threat will spill across borders. More than half of young Africans say that they want to leave their own countries and make their fortunes abroad. For African governments and the world at large, it is therefore important to harness the hustle.
Some of the necessary changes in attitude are already in place in rich countries, where young Africans are making their mark. Their continent’s cinema and music are taking the world by storm. Restaurateurs have won Michelin stars in London. Entrepreneurs have enriched the startup scene in Europe and America. Done right, emigration will help host countries arrest demographic decline and fix labour shortages. Host societies will also benefit from young Africans’ enterprise, just as the diaspora will channel money, skills and ideas back to Africa.
Home is where the start is
Yet the most important changes should happen at home. As we argued in our special report earlier this year, African governments need to reform their economies. If they want to create more opportunities for ambitious youngsters they need to focus on growth. Young Africans already know that they need prosperity to achieve their dreams. They have the can-do mindset to do their part. It is up to their governments to enable them to thrive. ■
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