The 2022 African Youth Survey offers fresh insights into a generation that has been significantly impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and is less hopeful about the continent's future.
Commissioned by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, the survey findings are derived from 4,500 face-to-face interviews with Africans aged 18-24.
The study reveals that while optimism about the future has diminished, African youths continue to prioritise their personal and entrepreneurial ambitions.
According to the report, many young Africans want to start their own businesses, but they face challenges like not having enough money and not being able to afford the internet.
Because they worry about the future, many are considering moving abroad for work and education, with over half contemplating relocating to another country in the next three years.
The survey also shows that many young people don't think their countries are going in the right direction. They are unhappy with how their governments handle equal rights, employment and job creation, healthcare services, and political stability maintenance.
Three out of four (74%) young Africans affirm that democracy is preferable to any other form of government. However, only 39% believe that African nations should emulate Western democracies.
Approximately one in four (22%) would support the military assuming control of their country. The highest approval for a military takeover came from the youth in Sudan (37%), Gabon (33%), and Ghana (32%).