DOI: 10.36344/ccijhss.2023.v09i03.002

Pages: 16-27

The study of assessing youth participation in decision making for economic development was conducted in the Urban West Region of Zanzibar. The objectives of the study were to investigate youth involvement in the decision making process in the economic programs in Zanzibar; to examine the factors that constrain youth participation in the economic development of Zanzibar; and to analyse existing government policies on youth participation in the economic development of Zanzibar. A quantitative research method was adapted to collect and analyse primary data from respondents. Data was collected from 181 respondents using a structural questionnaire. Data was statistically analysed by using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and was represented in the form of frequencies and tabulations. The key findings revealed that youths are neither participating nor involved in decision making in economic development programs as a majority. On the other hand, 105 (58%) of respondents said that youths are not involved in decision making. 71 (40%) of respondents said that lack of information accessibility is a challenge to youth participation in decision making. And lastly, the majority 96 (53%) of respondents also said that a low level of education is a hindering factor for youth participation. The findings also revealed that the majority of the respondents 149 (82%) agreed that the participation of youths will influence an effective outcome in economic development; 96 (53%) of the respondents agreed that, low level of education is the major factor that hinders youth participation in economic development programs; and the majority of respondents 59 (33%) disagreed that policies do not address youth participation in decision making. The study recommends that, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar should invest much on youth for sustainability economic development programs so as to avoid joblessness in the nation that results in substance abuse, the Urban West Region ..