"Youth Without Opportunity Is a Threat” - President Boakai Sounds Alarm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has issued a blunt warning to African leaders, declaring that peace cannot survive without justice, especially for young people.

Delivering the keynote address at the 34th Africa Peace Awards in Sacramento, Boakai stressed that Africa risks instability if its growing youth population continues to feel excluded from opportunities and governance.

“If the young people of our continent do not see justice, they will not believe in peace,” the Liberian leader said.

The President pointed directly to rising youth unemployment, inequality, and lack of access to education as major threats to long-term peace across the continent. He warned that neglected youth populations could easily become vulnerable to crime, conflict, and exploitation.

Boakai argued that peace must go beyond ending wars and instead focus on fairness, inclusion, and real opportunity. According to him, governments must urgently integrate young people into decision-making and national development.

He called for sweeping reforms, including investment in education, leadership training, and youth-focused policies that can transform Africa’s large youth population into a force for innovation rather than instability.

The Liberian leader’s message comes as Africa faces increasing pressure from economic shocks, climate challenges, and migration crises, many of which disproportionately affect young people.

Boakai is in the United States where he received a Peace Award, which he dedicated to the people of Liberia for their resilience after years of civil conflict.

His remarks now add to growing continental calls for governments to treat youth inclusion not as an option, but as a condition for peace.