Youth Participation in Climate Action in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges, Gaps and Prospects

This study explores the intricate barriers and potential pathways to achieving meaningful youth engagement in climate action across Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim was to critically examine the socio-structural factors that either hinder or facilitate effective participation. Employing a comprehensive desktop study methodology, this research synthesizes and analyzes a broad range of existing academic literature, policy reports, and documented case studies from the region. The key findings indicate that young people encounter a multifaceted set of barriers, including a significant lack of awareness of climate change processes and institutional frameworks, inadequate access to funding and knowledge resources and a severe reduction in their adaptive capacities. This is because they are among the most vulnerable groups, experiencing direct impacts on their health, food security and livelihoods. The discussion suggests that these interconnected challenges create a cycle of exclusion that hinders equitable participation in climate governance. Consequently, NGOs, governments and research institutions should move beyond symbolic consultation and actively collaborate to co-create inclusive platforms, provide dedicated resources, and integrate youth directly into the design, implementation, and monitoring of adaptation and mitigation strategies. This study’s primary contribution to scholarship is a synthesized, critical framework that explicitly frames youth exclusion as a core climate justice issue within the African context, offering a foundation for future empirical research and equitable policy development.