Description
The Special Issue
The purpose of this special issue is to bring together contributions exploring African youth livelihoods to expand understanding of how young Africans make a living. Demographers estimate that by 2030 half of the world’s youth will be African. This burgeoning increase in human beings on the continent usually leads to debates on ‘demographic dividends’ centred on how to cash in on human capital or the threats posed by large number of unemployed and poorly educated people on the African continent. This special issue is therefore important for challenging conventional framing of young Africans in developmental discourses, questioning for instance, how young Africans are studied, who studies them, from what perspectives and why?
The Originality of the Special Issue
Importantly, the majority of the included authors are young Africans themselves, advancing not only the theoretical, methodological and empirical aspects of research on issues affecting young people in Africa, but also expanding youth participation in academic publishing. Thematically, the contributions cover topics ranging from ‘the digital divide’ on the continent to the role of gender in the entrepreneurial activities of young people, from the motivations behind agricultural livelihoods to the impact of conflict on income generation, and more. In addition to this thematic range, the issue highlights the critical importance of young African researchers’ contribution to identifying and responding to key research gaps in youth livelihoods research.
