Power Without Exit: Africa’s Sit-Tight Syndrome

The Illusion of Stability

FOR decades, several African nations have been governed by leaders whose tenures stretch back to the Cold War era. Their defenders argue that experience brings stability. Their critics counter that extended rule has entrenched patronage systems, weakened institutions and slowed economic reform.

The facts are stark. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled Equatorial Guinea for over four decades. Paul Biya remains in office at 93. Yoweri Museveni has secured repeated electoral victories since 1986, aided by constitutional amendments that removed age and term limits.

In many of these countries, citizens under 40 have never experienced a peaceful transfer of presidential power.

Institutional Erosion and State Capture

Long incumbencies often correlate with institutional fragility. Constitutional changes extend mandates. Security forces grow politically aligned. Anti-corruption campaigns falter under selective enforcement.

Economic indicators reflect mixed outcomes at best. Resource-rich states continue to struggle with poverty and inequality. Youth unemployment remains high across much of the continent. Public trust in electoral systems is frequently low.

Extended rule can foster a governance culture centred on survival rather than transformation. Policy becomes reactive. Dissent is framed as destabilisation. International partners, prioritising security or resource interests, sometimes enable continuity over reform.

Youth at the Margins

Africa’s demographic profile presents a unique opportunity. With the majority of its population under 30, the continent has the potential for innovation-driven growth. Yet political participation remains skewed toward older elites.

Younger aspirants face structural barriers — financial, institutional and cultural. High nomination fees, patronage networks and limited internal party democracy narrow the field long before ballots are cast.

The frustration this breeds has, in some regions, contributed to political unrest or military intervention. When ballots appear ineffective, extra-constitutional avenues gain appeal.

Age Versus Ideas

Leadership quality is not determined solely by birth year. There are effective elderly leaders and ineffective younger ones. But generational turnover serves a democratic function: it refreshes ideas, recalibrates priorities and reflects societal change.

In France, Emmanuel Macron demonstrated that leadership renewal can be rapid within stable institutions. Senegal’s election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye suggests that peaceful generational transition is possible in Africa as well.

The real issue is not chronological age but the refusal to relinquish power and the manipulation of systems to avoid succession.

Reforming the Political Architecture

Breaking the cycle requires structural courage.

Constitutional term limits must be protected, not reinterpreted. Electoral commissions must operate free from executive interference. Judiciaries must act decisively against unconstitutional tenure extensions.

Equally important is reform within political parties. Candidate selection processes must become more transparent and financially accessible. Youth wings cannot remain symbolic appendages; they must feed into leadership pipelines.

Civil society, media and academia also play critical roles in demanding accountability and sustaining public discourse on governance standards.

Choosing Renewal Over Nostalgia

Africa stands at a demographic crossroads. Its youthful population represents either an engine of growth or a reservoir of discontent.

Sit-tight leadership offers short-term predictability but often at the expense of long-term institutional health. By contrast, structured generational transition strengthens democratic culture and economic resilience.

The question facing African states is not whether older leaders can govern, but whether political systems can regenerate without crisis.

History suggests that when renewal is blocked, change eventually arrives — sometimes abruptly and violently.

The continent’s future will depend on whether its leaders choose orderly transition over indefinite tenure, and whether its institutions are strong enough to make that choice irreversible.

Africa’s youth are not merely the leaders of tomorrow. They are citizens of today. Governance that excludes them risks governing on borrowed time.