Understanding youth perspectives is critical for shaping the future of medicine in Africa. In Togo, adolescents and young adults constitute a significant demographic, yet comparative insights into their views on medical careers and the healthcare landscape are lacking. This study aimed to compare the perspectives of Togolese adolescents and young adults regarding medical futures. It sought to identify key motivators, perceived barriers, and evolving aspirations towards medical professions. A comparative qualitative study was conducted using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. Participants were purposively sampled from urban and rural settings across Togo. Data were analysed thematically to identify common and divergent perspectives between the two age cohorts. A prominent theme was the strong influence of familial and community expectations on career choice. A substantial proportion of adolescents expressed idealistic views of medicine as a vocation. In contrast, young adults demonstrated a more pragmatic focus on systemic challenges, such as resource limitations and career logistics. Perspectives on medical futures among Togolese youth evolve significantly from adolescence to young adulthood, shifting from idealism to pragmatism. This underscores the need for targeted career support at different life stages. Medical career outreach programmes should be tailored to address the specific concerns of different youth cohorts. Policy should focus on mitigating the practical barriers identified by young adults to retain their interest in the medical field. Youth perspectives, medical careers, Togo, comparative study, qualitative research, healthcare workforce, adolescents, young adults This study provides comparative insights into the evolving aspirations of Togolese youth towards medicine, offering evidence to inform national health workforce strategy and educational policy.
Kossi Amegan (Mon,) studied this question.