By Kemo Kanyi
A Gambian foreign policy specialist has criticized the country’s political system, saying it continues to marginalize young people despite their numerical majority.
Zindi Anthony Levi was quick to warn that growing youth mobilization was being driven by economic hardship, inequality and poor governance rather than ideology.
In an exclusive interview with The Voice on Monday from the United Kingdom, Levi says recent youth activism in The Gambia and across Africa reflects a broader demand for accountability, inclusion and improved living conditions.
He argues that although some observers describe the trend as a democratic awakening, the reality is that young people are mobilising primarily because of economic precarity, corruption, inequality and exclusion.
“The mobilization is driven less by ideological commitments to democracy and more by lived experiences of economic precarity, inequality, corruption and exclusion,” he remarked.
Levi, an African development policy expert, said The Gambia’s political system remains dominated by an ageing political elite that continues to recycle power among itself.
He noted that although young people account for more than 60 percent of the country’s population, they remain significantly underrepresented in key state institutions, including the National Assembly, Cabinet and senior civil service.
“The result is a widening gap between those who govern and those who must live with the consequences,” he said.
According to Levi, the demands expressed by young protesters go beyond calls for democracy to include accountable leadership, equitable economic opportunities, efficient public services and an end to corruption and nepotism.
He says that where democratization is pursued, it is often viewed as a means of achieving these broader objectives rather than an end in itself.
Referring to The Gambia’s political transition following 22 years of dictatorship, Levi said young Gambians have made it clear that they do not wish to return to authoritarian rule, although their central concerns remain economic opportunity, transparency and political inclusion.
He also praised the activities of the Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA), describing the movement as more than a series of street protests.
“This is not passive citizenship. It is participatory governance from below,” he said, adding that the movement is demanding asset recovery, accountability and institutional reform.
Levi further argued that democratic language is often adopted by protesters in response to political backsliding and attempts to reverse democratic gains.
“In such moments, democracy becomes something to defend rather than an abstract aspiration,” he said.
He maintained that young people mobilise because they see their already limited opportunities being further threatened by political regression.
Levi said politics is ultimately shaped by everyday realities, including unemployment, underfunded schools, overstretched hospitals and limited economic opportunities.
“Corruption is not a moral concept. To them, it is the reason scholarships disappear, contracts go to connected families and public funds never reach communities,” he remarked.