Youth in West and Central Africa: quests for inclusion and the future of governance

Youth aged twenty-four and under make up more than 64% of the population in West and Central Africa. They are the most educated and technologically connected cohort that the continent has ever seen. Contrary to their demographic weight, they are largely excluded from leadership roles within politics, the economy and the formal security sector. This part special issue highlights barriers to youth integration into the political and economic landscape in West and Central Africa and explores youth strategies to exercise agency. It brings together interdisciplinary contributions from four countries - Senegal, Gambia, Burkina Faso and Cameroon - to demonstrate the ways in which youth are shaping the present and future of their countries in spite of their marginalization. Les jeunes de vingt-quatre ans et moins representent plus de 64 % de la population en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre. Ils constituent la cohorte la plus eduquee et la plus connectee au plan technologique que le continent ait jamais connue. Contrairement a leur poids demographique, ils sont largement exclus des postes de direction dans la politique, l'economie et le secteur formel de la securite. Ce numero special met en lumiere les obstacles a l'integration des jeunes dans le paysage politique et economique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre et explore les strategies de jeunes pour exercer leur capacite a agir. Il rassemble des contributions interdisciplinaires provenant de quatre pays - le Senegal, la Gambie, le Burkina Faso et le Cameroun - afin de montrer comment les jeunes faconnent le present et l'avenir de leur pays en depit de leur marginalisation.