Journal of African Development

Africa’s youth, comprising over 60% of the continent’s population, represent a powerful demographic force with the potential to shape democratic governance and social transformation. Despite their numerical strength, youth political participation in African democracies remains comparatively low in terms of voter turnout, party membership, and legislative representation. This article examines patterns of youth engagement, including both conventional participation and non-traditional activism such as protests and digital advocacy. It explores structural, economic, cultural, and political barriers inhibiting youth involvement, including restrictive candidacy laws, unemployment, and societal discrimination. Highlighting recent youth-led movements and legislative reforms like Nigeria’s “Not Too Young to Run” law, the article underscores emerging innovations and opportunities to enhance youth inclusion. Policy recommendations call for lowering participation barriers, investing in civic education and economic empowerment, ensuring safe spaces for activism, expanding digital access, and addressing gender equity. Ultimately, the article argues that fostering meaningful youth political participation is essential for strengthening African democracies and realizing inclusive governance.

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains an entrenched challenge across Africa, impacting women and girls at devastating rates. Despite progress in legislative reforms and heightened regional and global advocacy, the prevalence of GBV persists—driven by social norms, conflict, economic inequality, and weak legal enforcement. This article examines current trends in GBV, critically assesses national and continental legal frameworks, and discusses implementation gaps, promising innovations, and urgent policy recommendations. Empirical data and visualizations underline the scale of the issue and the imperative for multi-sectoral action.

Girls’ education stands as one of the most transformative levers for Africa’s development. This article critically reviews the landscape of girls’ education in Africa—examining enrollment, completion, prevailing barriers, and the impact on economic growth, health, societal progress, and intergenerational change. Drawing from recent datasets and programmatic evidence, it highlights challenges, demonstrates policy impact, and considers the future trajectory for the continent.

This article explores the complex landscape of nutrition and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa, analyzing current trends, principal challenges, and best practices in policy and intervention. Drawing on recent data, the article highlights the region’s ongoing struggles with undernutrition, the rise of overweight and obesity, chronic food insecurity, and the interventions deployed to progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Graphs and tables illustrate the magnitude of the issues and successful responses, emphasizing the urgent need for multisectoral collaboration.

Female leadership in Africa is at a pivotal moment, characterized by historic milestones and ongoing challenges. African women are increasingly assuming leadership roles across politics, business, education, and civil society, breaking stereotypes and influencing transformative governance. Despite progress—such as Rwanda’s high parliamentary female representation and influential female heads of state—structural, cultural, economic, and political barriers continue to limit women's full participation and advancement in leadership. This article examines trends in female leadership, highlights notable figures and countries, evaluates the multifaceted impact of women leaders, and explores persistent challenges including patriarchy, limited resources, and gender-based violence. It also reviews current initiatives and policy recommendations aimed at accelerating gender parity through legislative quotas, mentorship, legal protections, and economic empowerment. Ultimately, the article argues that sustained political commitment and societal transformation are essential to harnessing women’s leadership potential for Africa’s inclusive development and governance.

Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a critical role in advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), particularly in low- and middle-income countries where health workforce shortages and access inequities persist. This article outlines the multifaceted contributions of CHWs, including expanding access to essential health services, bridging workforce gaps, supporting disease prevention and health security, addressing social determinants of health, and enhancing health system resilience. Using evidence from countries such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya, the article demonstrates substantial improvements in maternal and child health outcomes linked to CHW programs. Despite these successes, challenges remain around professionalization, fragmented programs, resource constraints, and gender disparities. The article concludes with policy imperatives that emphasize formal integration, sustainable financing, supportive training and supervision, gender equity, and data-driven planning to fully harness the potential of CHWs in achieving equitable, resilient, and sustainable health systems aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Southern Africa remains the epicenter of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, grappling with the highest prevalence rates and substantial health burdens. This article examines the region’s multifaceted policy response aimed at prevention, treatment expansion, stigma reduction, and rights protection. With countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe leading efforts, substantial progress has been made in scaling up antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage and reducing new infections, especially through innovative programs like South Africa’s “Close The Gap” campaign. Key challenges persist, including stigma, gender inequality, funding constraints, and legal barriers affecting vulnerable populations. The article highlights adaptive strategies incorporating community empowerment, digital health, and integrated service delivery. It concludes with policy recommendations underscoring the critical need for sustained political commitment, structural reforms, regional collaboration, and inclusive approaches to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

People with disabilities in Africa face significant, multifaceted barriers in accessing equitable healthcare. Structural, economic, attitudinal, and systemic challenges often lead to poorer health outcomes and exclusion from essential services. This article provides an evidence-based review of these barriers, explores recent innovations, includes data visualizations on healthcare access, and offers policy recommendations for a more inclusive health system across the continent.

The mental health needs of university students across Africa have rapidly emerged as a critical public health concern. This article synthesizes research on the prevalence, drivers, and consequences of common mental health disorders among African university students, highlights service gaps, and reviews the accessibility and effectiveness of emerging interventions. Using regional data and recent studies, the article offers policy recommendations for African higher education institutions.

This article investigates the critical role of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives in improving the lives of slum dwellers in the Global South. Rapid urbanization has led to the growth of informal settlements, where residents often lack access to basic WASH services, resulting in elevated risks of disease, poor health, and entrenched poverty. The article analyzes the scope of WASH deficiencies in slum contexts, the associated health burden, and the complex barriers—economic, spatial, institutional, and policy—that impede improvements. Drawing from recent studies, international reports, and field interventions, the article highlights successful community-based and infrastructural approaches that have effectively increased access to clean water, improved sanitation practices, and enhanced public health outcomes. Furthermore, it addresses persistent challenges such as sustainability, equity, and coordination, and outlines pathways forward for achieving universal and inclusive WASH coverage in slum environments. The findings underscore the necessity of integrated, community-driven, and policy-supported solutions to realize Sustainable Development Goal 6 and foster urban equity.

Traditional medicine (TM) plays a critical role in the public health strategy of many African nations, particularly in rural and underserved communities. This article explores the historical context, current integration efforts, benefits, challenges, and policy frameworks surrounding traditional medicine within African health systems. By analyzing data, policy developments, and case studies, the article presents an overview of how TM contributes to health outcomes and universal health coverage goals while underscoring the challenges related to regulation, safety, and collaboration with modern healthcare.

This article reviews the state of maternal and child health (MCH) in rural Africa, focusing on persistent inequities and recent interventions aimed at reducing mortality and enhancing care access. Despite a 40% reduction in maternal mortality since 2000, rural African regions still face the world’s highest risks due to inadequate infrastructure, shortages of skilled birth attendants, and pervasive socio-economic and cultural barriers. The article examines key interventions—including community-driven outreach programs, mobile health (mHealth) innovations, expanded primary care, integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI), and improvements in nutrition and sanitation. Evidence from initiatives like Zambia’s Safe Motherhood Action Groups and mHealth programs across several countries demonstrates meaningful increases in antenatal care attendance, skilled birth coverage, and postnatal follow-up. However, formidable challenges remain, including workforce deficits, transport barriers, poverty, and fragmented health service delivery. The article concludes with policy recommendations advocating for greater community empowerment, scale-up of digital solutions, infrastructure investment, and holistic integration of MCH services, particularly for the most underserved rural populations.