A youth advocate has called for the inclusion of young people in leadership and decision-making, saying that youth participation risks becoming symbolic when their concerns are not reflected in policies and government actions.
Speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn Show on Thursday, Youth Accountability Champions from Restless Development, Boboto David Lubang and Michael Julius, said young people must move beyond attending meetings and public events to actively influence decisions and hold leaders accountable.
The discussion focused on the theme, “Beyond Tokenism: Making Youth Participation Count in Africa’s Development,” highlighting the role of young people in governance, nation-building and the electoral process.
Boboto said meaningful youth participation could encourage young people to take greater responsibility for national affairs, including participating in elections as voters, civic educators, observers and candidates.
“If we are able to hear the voices of the young people, such attitudes towards the affairs of this nation will reduce. More young people will be involved,” Boboto said.
He added that participation in nation-building is both a constitutional right and a responsibility of South Sudanese citizens.
“As a citizen, they have the responsibility to participate in nation building,” he said.
Meanwhile, Julius called for accountability mechanisms to track commitments made by leaders and ensure that proposals raised by young people are reflected in policies and translated into practical action.
He said young people are often invited to participate when organisations or leaders need their numbers and energy but are excluded when important decisions are being made.
Julius stressed that youth participation should go beyond consultation to include monitoring whether leaders act on the concerns raised.
“There should be accountability tracker to ensure that, yes, we have said this, we have said A, we have said B, and A was reflected in the policy,” he said.
He warned that without mechanisms to monitor commitments, it becomes difficult to hold leaders accountable for decisions and promises made to young people.
The two advocates urged young people to engage leaders through dialogue, demand their rights and participate actively in decision-making processes.
They also warned that decisions made without youth involvement could affect young people’s daily lives, calling for meaningful representation in governance and stronger accountability mechanisms across Africa.
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