A portrait of African Youth: book and documentary

October 18, 2022

Youth is not just at the centre of African future, but it is already a key factor for the continent’s present. With 70% of its population under the age of 30, sub-Saharan Africa is indeed a living lab for the empowerment of new generations in securing sustainable growth and fully attaining the continent’s human, social and economic potential.

Young Africans are the drivers of change in a continent which is seeking not only economic development and social stability, but also new recipes to achieve them. They represent an informal movement comprising young start-uppers developing apps, professionals spreading the use of new technology in key sectors of the continent’s life, and activists involved at the local level to counteract the impact of climate change and promote the energy transition.

The stories of young people from Kenya, South Africa and Senegal are captured and narrated in the multimedia project “African Century: Youth”, implemented by Akronos with the support of Enel Foundation and Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo. The photobook and the web-documentary describe their curiosity, enthusiasm, ambition and courage in transforming Africa for the better in a variety of sectors, from agritech to migrations, from energy to art, with a special attention on environmental sustainability as a cross-sectoral trope.

Sustainability is certainly the fil rouge of their educational pathways and professional careers, and to an even greater degree, the guiding principle behind their ambition and dreams. The future of Africa cannot be anything else than sustainable, and the new generations of African citizens are perfectly aware of this.

The book and the documentary will be presented today in an event jointly organized by Akronos, Enel Foundation, AICS, LUISS University and the Associazione Le Reseau, as part of the Ottobre African Festival 2022.