guest column:Nelson Chamisa Africa cannot afford to continue with the authoritarian, dictatorial and despotic forms of governance that are predominant on the continent. Authoritarian and dictatorial governments are repressive, corrupt and inefficient. Their only purpose is to retain power and to loot public resources for the benefit of a few political elites, leaving the majority of citizens in poverty. Therefore, although rich in raw resources, our continent remains the poorest in the world. We have seen this trend of authoritarianism in Zimbabwe, and we are now seeing it in Uganda which has just held a farcical election. Regimes in these countries share a common thread: they have no tolerance for dissenting voices. Instead, voices of dissent are treated with disdain, as if they were enemies of the State instead of constructive voices in the civic process. There can be no progress when political parties treat each other as enemies. The ruling parties in particular have always treated opposition parties as if they were illegitimate and enemies. This approach is used to stifle competition and to justify exclusion and repression. This tragedy has just played out in Uganda, where the regime unleashed egregious violence against Bobi Wine and his movement during the election campaign. Another common characteristic of these authoritarian regimes is the anti-youth approach that defines their policies. The yesteryear generation is not comfortable with young people assuming leadership roles. This goes against the reality that Africa is a young continent in terms of its population. It presently has the world’s largest population of young people; the median age is 19,7. Africa is also projected to have a population of 2,5 billion by 2050, a majority of that population will be young people. Young people in Africa represent a critical force. Youths are the current and future face of Africa. This future population projection is often referred to as the demographic dividend, economists project this growth will be good for Africa. Others caution that this dividend can only be an asset to Africa if we can fix the institutions of governance, improve our infrastructure and make progress beyond being merely extractive economies. There is a need for deliberate policies that include youths in the political and economic architecture of their countries. Unless this is done, the demographic dividend will become a nightmare, as more young people rely on the State to provide for their welfare. Unfortunately, dictators stand in the way of these inclusive processes. Young people seeking leadership are dismissed as upstarts and thwarted with the might of the State’s coercive apparatus. They are constantly told that they are the future, but that future never arrives. They are the ones who have a future to plan for, because they will have to experience it. The view of the authoritarian generation that is currently in power is very short-termist by nature. They have no real incentives to plan for a future that they have no prospect of experiencing.