Africa will lead the world in the coming decades based on the young age of its youth

The President of the Republic of Botswana, Duma Gideon Boko, said that the African continent has a historic opportunity to lead the world in the coming decades, thanks to its young population composition, as the average age in Africa is 19 years, while the average age in Botswana is 25 years, which constitutes a real lever for growth and innovation if investment is made in the energies of youth.

The President of the Republic of Botswana, during a session entitled “Will the Next Decade Be Africa?” within the activities of the World Government Summit 2026, made a strong appeal to Botswana and African youth, urging them to adhere to their roots and take their homeland as a platform to launch into the world, stressing that the digital transformation we are experiencing today gives creative people the ability to influence international markets without the need to immigrate to Europe or the United States.

He added that young people today enjoy the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, in addition to being “digital citizens” who are able to work and influence globally from within their homelands, noting that this advantage allows them to expand the scope of their international presence without the need for immigration. He stressed that the survival of young people in their countries represents an essential foundation for transferring knowledge and maximizing economic impact locally and continentally.

Boko explained that Botswana is working to provide an integrated system to support youth, including education, training, and skills building, in addition to an incubator environment that encourages innovation and nurtures creative energies, enabling youth to effectively contribute to sustainable development.

With regard to the economy and innovation, the President of Botswana stressed the importance of consolidating intellectual property within the African continent, and ensuring that innovations contribute to serving humanity as a whole, and not that their benefits are limited to a limited elite, stressing the need to provide opportunities fairly so that everyone can benefit from the returns of the global economy.

He touched on the concept of democracy, stressing that the world is witnessing a shift in its understanding away from a single model, explaining that African experiences are developing democratic models stemming from their social and cultural reality, by integrating traditional systems of community leadership with modern frameworks of governance, which has contributed to building a more flexible and deep-rooted democracy.

Regarding international affairs, Boko explained that his country’s relations with global powers, including China, are based on national interests and equal negotiation, noting that Botswana chooses its partners according to what serves its development priorities, without dependence on any party.

The President of Botswana warned against the erosion of the rules-based international order, considering that external interventions that violate the sovereignty of states and the right of peoples to self-determination represent a serious threat to global stability, stressing that respect for national sovereignty and international law constitute the basis for any just and sustainable global order.