Diagnosing Prof. Ajodo-Adebanjoko on the untapped power of youths in countering violent extremism in Sub-Saharan African

By Armstrong Ogbe

This review is necessitated by the quest for solutions to the rising problem of violent extremism and terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the vast and complex landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa’s security challenges, youth are often seen through a narrow and deeply problematic lens—portrayed as either victims of radicalization or, more commonly, as perpetrators of violent extremism. This perception, long entrenched in both domestic and international security policies, has overshadowed a far more compelling and hopeful truth: young people are not only key to ending cycles of violence, but they are already doing the work of peace.

Professor Angela Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s powerful piece, Beyond Perpetrators: Exploring the Youth-Peace Nexus in Countering Violent Extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa, published in the African Journal of Terrorism (Vol. 12, No. 1, December 2022), breaks critical new ground in this discourse. An award-winning academic and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the prestigious Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko draws on a rich body of research—more than 50 publications including seminal work on the role of women in countering extremism in Northeastern Nigeria—to craft a narrative that challenges status quo thinking and reimagines the role of youth in peacebuilding.

In this thought-provoking article, Professor Angela Ajodo-Adebanjoko boldly challenges one of the most entrenched narratives in security discourse—the depiction of African youth as inevitable perpetrators of violent extremism. Her work calls on governments, civil society, and the international community to fundamentally rethink how young people are engaged in counterterrorism and peacebuilding across Sub-Saharan Africa. Her central thesis is both simple and revolutionary: we must go beyond viewing youth as perpetrators and begin recognizing them as essential partners in the fight against violent extremism.

Redefining the Narrative

The editorial begins by dismantling the reductive portrayal of African youth as a volatile demographic—easily manipulated, disenfranchised, and primed for radical ideologies. This narrative, reinforced by media sensationalism and militarized policy responses, misses the multifaceted realities of young people’s lives and their capacity for resilience, innovation, and leadership.

Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s research illuminates how youth across the continent are already leading peace initiatives, organizing community dialogues, developing counter-narrative media, and even mediating between conflicting groups. They are not merely potential peacebuilders—they are already doing the work, often with little support or recognition from formal institutions.

The failure to integrate this reality into national and regional security strategies not only ignores a powerful force for change—it also risks exacerbating the very conditions that enable extremism to flourish. When youth are alienated, criminalized, and excluded, the sense of injustice and marginalization that fuels recruitment into extremist groups deepens.

Understanding the Nexus: Youth and Peace

Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko delves deeply into what she calls the “youth-peace nexus,” emphasizing that youth must be seen not just through the lens of security, but through the broader lens of peace and development. This shift in perspective requires moving from reactive to preventative strategies—addressing the root causes of extremism, such as poverty, unemployment, political exclusion, identity-based discrimination, and lack of access to education.

She argues convincingly that youth participation in peacebuilding is not just idealistic, it is a necessity. The demographic reality is undeniable: with over 60% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population under the age of 25, no peacebuilding framework can be effective without their full involvement.

But participation must be more than tokenism. It must mean leadership roles, decision-making power, access to resources, and platforms for youth to shape policies that affect their futures.

Bridging the Gap: Policy and Practice

One of the strengths of Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s scholarship is her ability to bridge theoretical frameworks with on-the-ground realities. She critiques current policy approaches that prioritize militarized responses to violent extremism—approaches that often lump youth into broad, criminalized categories and rely heavily on surveillance, detention, and forced deradicalization.

She urges a pivot toward youth-centered peacebuilding, which includes: Strengthening civic education to foster critical thinking and democratic participation, investing in youth employment and entrepreneurship, addressing economic drivers of radicalization, promoting inclusive governance that gives young people real influence in political processes; and supporting youth-led initiatives that counter extremist narratives using culture, technology, and media.

Her work underscores the importance of regional cooperation and tailored national strategies that account for the diverse cultural, historical, and socio-political contexts of different African countries. What works in Kenya may not apply in Burkina Faso. Yet the principle remains: youth must be seen as architects of peace, not suspects of war.

A Gendered Perspective

 Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s broader body of work also brings critical attention to the intersection of youth, gender, and peacebuilding. Her research on the role of women in countering violent extremism in Northeastern Nigeria provides important insights into how young women are uniquely affected by, and uniquely positioned to challenge, violent ideologies.

She argues that any effective youth-focused peace strategy must also be gender-sensitive—recognizing the double marginalization faced by young women and the specific ways in which extremist groups manipulate gender norms to recruit, exploit, and control.

Her advocacy for inclusive peacebuilding—where young women are empowered as leaders, not just survivors—is essential in building holistic, community-driven responses to extremism.

Learning from the Frontlines

 The editorial also draws from real-world examples of youth-led peacebuilding efforts. In places like Uganda, Nigeria, and Somalia, youth-led organizations have developed innovative responses—from counter-radicalization podcasts and theater productions to digital literacy campaigns and grassroots mediation networks.

These initiatives are not just symbolic. They have tangible impacts—disrupting recruitment pipelines, challenging extremist ideologies, building trust between communities and security forces, and fostering resilience in high-risk areas.

However, most of these initiatives operate with limited funding, little institutional support, and minimal policy integration. Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko makes a compelling case that supporting these grassroots efforts is not charity—it is smart, sustainable security policy.

Toward a New 

Peace Architecture

 What emerges from Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s work is a call for a new peace architecture in Sub-Saharan Africa—one that centers youth not as problems to be solved, but as partners to be empowered.

This vision requires more than policy tweaks. It demands a cultural shift in how governments, security forces, international agencies, and even academic institutions view youth. It requires moving beyond top-down strategies toward participatory models that share power, listen deeply, and act collaboratively.

It also calls for investment. Peace cannot be built on rhetoric alone. Funding must follow policy. Resources must be channeled to youth-led organizations, to education and employment programs, and to community initiatives that strengthen social cohesion.

The Path Forward

The insights in Beyond Perpetrators are not merely academic—they are urgent, practical, and transformative. In the face of rising violent extremism, particularly in the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, and the Horn of Africa, there is no time to lose. Security frameworks that ignore or marginalize youth are not only unjust—they are ineffective.

Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s work stands as a beacon of what is possible when we choose inclusion over exclusion, prevention over reaction, and partnership over paternalism.

The road to peace in Sub-Saharan Africa runs through its youth. It is time we not only recognize that fact but build our strategies around it.

If we are to secure a stable, just, and prosperous future, we must go beyond viewing young people as perpetrators—and embrace them as the peacebuilders they already are.

Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s work is a clarion call to shift from securitized, reactionary strategies toward inclusive, preventative frameworks that center youth agency. Her findings underscore that the conditions feeding extremism—marginalization, poverty, lack of political voice—can only be addressed by empowering youth as partners in peace, not by profiling them as risks.

What’s urgently needed, she contends, is a multi-layered approach: investment in youth education and entrepreneurship, platforms for civic engagement, and stronger youth participation in local and national peace processes. Simply put, sustainable peace is impossible without youth inclusion—not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone.

In the face of sustained terrorist attacks in sub-Saharan Africa, and the region becoming the epicenter of global terrorism, this perspective must not remain confined to academic journals. Policymakers, donors, and practitioners need to internalize and act on it. Sub-Saharan Africa is the youngest region in the world. Its future stability hinges not on policing its youth, but on partnering with them.

Thanks to voices like Professor Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s, the path forward is clearer. The question is whether we are courageous enough to follow it.

Professor Angela Ajodo-Adebanjoko’s article “Beyond Perpetrators: Exploring the Youth-Peace Nexus in Countering Violent Extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa” was published in the African Journal of Terrorism, Vol. 12, No. 1, December 2022. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and an award-winning academic with over 50 publications in peace and security, including research on women’s roles in countering violent extremism in Northeastern Nigeria.