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What Motivates Young African Leaders for Public Engagement? Lessons from Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda

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Abstract

Young people constitute a disproportionate share of the population in most African countries, and as such, make up a key political demographic. The discourse on youth political participation tends to focus narrowly on disengaged, apathetic and troublesome youth. Yet, many African youth have taken on leadership positions across the continent, engaging in politics, civil society, and activism. This article seeks an understanding of what drives their public engagement. Drawing on a qualitative study of 33 leaders across Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda, we argue that a range of individual, relational, and societal factors entwine and build on each other to foster youth leadership. Drawing on the socialization literature, we explore individual-level determinants of engagement, including family, educational experiences, purposive incentives, and identity. We go further than earlier research to explore the unique ways that these, along with the complex relational ties that undergird neopatrimonialism, as well as political opportunities, can work together to build young leaders in the public sphere.

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Funding

This research was supported by an International Collaboration Grant from Notre Dame’s Global Religion Research Initiative (Round 2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

    Richard Asante

  2. Whitworth University, Spokane, WA, USA

    Megan Hershey

  3. Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

    Phoebe Kajubi

  4. Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA

    Tracy Kuperus

  5. University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    Colman Msoka

  6. University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA

    Amy Patterson

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Correspondence to Megan Hershey.

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The study received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the three North Americans’ home institutions, as well as within each country. Mengo Hospital Research Ethics Committee in Kampala and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology provided approval and clearance, as did the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and the Ethics Committee for the Humanities at the University of Ghana.

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Appendix. Interview Questions

Appendix. Interview Questions

Interview Guide

The following is a list of questions we used to guide our in-depth and open-ended interviews with leaders:

  1. 1.

    Tell me a little about your position. What does your job entail?

  2. 2.

    How did you come to be in this position/work?

  3. 3.

    Who influenced you to become involved in this position/work?

  4. 4.

    Tell me a little about your childhood:

  • Where did you grow up?

  • Who were the people who influenced you growing up?

  • Were you always interested in [profession/field]?

  1. 5.

    How do you define being a “good citizen?” How does your work in this position relate to that definition?

  2. 6.

    How does your gender relate to your understanding of being a “good citizen?” Or does being a “good citizen” differ for men and women?

  3. 7.

    What role does religion play in your life/work?

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Asante, R., Hershey, M., Kajubi, P. et al. What Motivates Young African Leaders for Public Engagement? Lessons from Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda. Int J Polit Cult Soc 34, 309–333 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10767-020-09364-6

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