Renewal

Call for a younger, more innovative and more visible liberalism, in Africa as in Europe

With the presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire just a few days away, attention is turning to young people, the driving force behind change and the pillar of democracy. Making up more than 70% of the population, young people have a historic responsibility: to actively participate in building a future based on freedom, responsibility, innovation and ethical governance.
This generation now intends to assert its place and defend the values of a modern, forward-looking liberalism. In a world facing political, social, environmental and economic crises.
Today, these crises know no borders. All over the world, young people are facing major challenges: the rise of populism, disinformation, war on their doorstep, the climate crisis, precariousness and disenchantment with democracy. In response, European youth are reinventing forms of engagement: increased participation in European elections, the creation of digital citizen initiatives, and mobilisation through liberal movements such as LYMEC (Liberal Youth of Europe), which promise freedom, democracy and responsibility for the younger generation.
As in Europe, young people in Africa, particularly in West Africa, are reminding us that democracy cannot be taken for granted, but must be renewed through participation and vigilance.

Youth, peace and democracy: Bouaké as a symbol of a new civic engagement between Africa and Europe

On 26 July, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom organised the “Young Political Debaters” event in Bouaké. The country's second largest city, Bouaké was once the epicentre of divisions during the political and military crisis in 2002. But today, it is redefining itself as a laboratory for reconciliation and civic engagement.
Organising a political debate in Bouaké means transforming a place of division into a space for dialogue, turning the memory of conflict into a force for cohesion. In short, it means offering Ivorian youth a mirror of resilience and democratic renewal.

Youth: between the legacy of crises and the driving force of democratic change

The political history of Côte d'Ivoire, like that of many African countries, shows how young people have often been perceived as instruments of mobilisation, sometimes manipulated in periods of electoral tension. But this view is now outdated.
From Abidjan to Johannesburg, from Berlin to Paris, the same dynamic is emerging: young people want to be actors, not spectators.
When young people have spaces for expression and civic education, they become mediators of peace and political innovators. The experience of Bouaké is proof of this: debating without violence, confronting ideas without dividing, learning to listen in order to build better.
Similarly, in Europe, many young liberals, through organisations such as IFLRY, are advocating for a more participatory, sustainable and transparent democracy, rejecting extremes and promoting cooperation, dialogue and individual freedom.
African and European youth: a shared democratic destiny
Despite their different contexts, young people in Africa and Europe share the same urgent need: to reinvent democracy in a changing world.

• In Senegal, the Y'en a marre movement has imposed transparency and accountability on leaders. The upheaval of 2023 and the change of government in Senegal were made possible by the mass mobilisation of poor, disenfranchised young Senegalese people, frustrated by the lack of education and prospects.
• In Tunisia, after 2011, young people embodied the aspiration for democracy.
• In Madagascar and more recently in Morocco, Generation Z is demanding dignity and accountability from the state and is actively campaigning for fewer large-scale projects and more health and education.
• In Kenya, frustrated by President Ruto's broken promises, and in Togo, young people are calling for better governance and respect for democracy.
• In Europe, the IFLRY network is working to strengthen youth participation in institutions and defend fundamental rights.

These experiences, both African and European, converge towards the same conviction: young people are the driving force behind democratic change, bringing creativity, tolerance and the courage to experiment with new forms of participatory governance and to assert themselves, through dialogue or by force...

The happy medium - Liberal youth stand up against extremism and populism in Africa and Europe

As October 2025 approaches, Côte d'Ivoire, like many democracies around the world, must prevent tensions and build trust. However, this stability can only come from an active, conscientious and informed citizenry. Young people, with their energy, inventiveness and openness to the world, are the primary guarantors of this democratic peace.
They can and must be the conduits for intergenerational and intercultural dialogue, in Côte d'Ivoire as in Europe. Liberal parties must recognise their young members as a real asset who have the right to speak and access decision-making positions within a movement or party. Training, listening to and valuing young people means investing in lasting peace, a vibrant democracy and a shared future between continents. Bouaké then becomes much more than a place: it becomes a symbol of resilience and democratic learning.
Ivorian youth, like African and European youth, embody the hope for a world where dialogue prevails over division, where commitment takes precedence over indifference, and where freedom is built together, step by step.