With nearly 800 million young people, Africa’s youth population represents both one of the continent’s greatest challenges and its biggest development opportunities. In this interview, engineer and President of the Abdou Samb Foundation, Abdou Samb, argues that young Africans remain inadequately represented in institutions shaping their future and outlines what must be done to unlock their potential. Excerpt:

Why should African youth become the AU’s seventh region?

African youth number nearly 800 million. No institution can create 800 million jobs. What we can do is create the conditions for a significant number of young people to create their own economic activities and employ others.
In 2003, the African Union recognised the diaspora as the sixth region — those whom geography had taken away from the continent. It has not yet adequately addressed those whom generation still keeps from the table.
The seventh region would give young people a voice, resources of their own and rules based on merit. Representation without the necessary institutional architecture is not a beginning. It risks becoming a cage with a better name.

What must the AU do differently for young Africans?

The African Youth Charter and Agenda 2063 already exist. What is missing is implementation, financing and public accountability.

The African Youth Fund should become operational. Young people should have real seats at the table, not merely consultative roles.
A hearing — whether in Addis Ababa in February, Johannesburg in June or Bujumbura in August — is not yet transformation. We need to move from consultations to concrete action.

How can Africa reduce youth migration?

No one is kept by guilt. People stay where possibility is real.
Young Africans need access to capital, open public markets and institutions that treat them as partners rather than beneficiaries. Our task is not to forbid people from leaving. It is to make staying — and returning — an intelligent choice.
If young people can see a future at home, migration becomes a choice rather than an escape.

Can a young African succeed without connections?

Success without a godfather exists, but it is too rare.
The answer is institutional. We need open calls, objective criteria and appointments judged by results. A young person should be measured by what they produce, not by who introduces them.
Merit must become a practical principle of governance, employment and opportunity, rather than simply an ideal we talk about.

What is holding young entrepreneurs back?

There is unequal access to credit, contracts, licences and networks. We also have institutions that can be slow and unpredictable.
Until capital is allocated on the basis of performance rather than proximity, youth entrepreneurship will remain largely a private struggle instead of becoming a powerful development tool.
Young people do not necessarily need favours. They need fair systems through which their ideas, skills and businesses can compete.

Is African education preparing young people for the future?

Too often, it prepares them for yesterday’s jobs.
Education must be connected to practical skills, internships, entrepreneurship and real employment opportunities. As artificial intelligence reshapes the world of work, mathematics, data literacy and critical thinking cannot remain optional.
We must prepare young Africans not only to seek jobs but also to create value in an economy that is changing rapidly.

What is the Abdou Samb Foundation doing to advance these objectives?

We work for a prosperous and meritocratic Africa.

The Youth Regeneration Summit in Johannesburg brought together more than 1,000 young Africans to affirm the proposal for a seventh region. We subsequently took the campaign to Bujumbura, marking 20 years of the African Youth Charter.
This year, we are taking the proposal into AU organs with a file, not just a slogan. We are also structuring scholarships and investment initiatives so that the idea does not lose momentum along the way.
Our objective is to connect young Africans with the opportunities, institutions and resources they need to contribute meaningfully to the continent’s development.

What is your message to frustrated young Africans?

Let no one steal what is most precious — hope. Do not wait for permission. Build now the opportunity that no one will grant you as a favour.
Africa’s next chapter must not simply be written about young people. Young Africans must be among those writing it.