The youth manifesto towards Africa’s democratization

This paper examines the significance of youth manifestos towards Africa's democratization. Youth manifestos serve as platforms for youths to participate in policymaking and decision-making, influencing development agendas and ultimately democratization, but they are minimally appraised in the literature. The study used qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews, document review, and open-ended questionnaires. Participants included political party representatives, youth manifesto coordinators, and youth representatives from Tanzania and Kenya. The findings highlight youths' ability to articulate, aggregate, and push their agenda on different matters, the fulfillment of which warrants a democratization process. Although the manifestos are arguably the voice of all youths in a country, there is a need to expand coverage through online and physical means to justify their agenda. The challenges surrounding the drafting and implementation of the manifestos led to proposals for the most effective youth initiatives to advance democratization in Africa. • Youths manifestos as instrumental for youths participation in democratization they provide forums to voice their demands. • The manifesto agenda-setting process excludes rural youths, the disables, and those the informal sector. • Institutional, Structural, economic and political barriers dictates manifesto formulation to implementation effectiveness.