Let’s talk about liberty. Not the one with fireworks, big speeches, and flags waving in the wind. I mean everyday liberty, the kind that lets you think freely, start something, sell something, build something without needing to ask five offices for permission.
Real liberty is about being able to shape your own life, not wait for someone to stamp a paper. But if you’re in Zimbabwe or honestly, many parts of Africa, you know that kind of freedom can feel like a fantasy. It’s choked by red tape, delays, and rules that feel older than your grandmother’s tea set.
A high school student in Mutare starts selling homemade juice at break time. It’s nothing fancy, just a few bottles here and there to make pocket money. Before long, the hustle starts growing and so do the problems. Suddenly, they’re told they need a health certificate. Then a trading license. Then a tax number. Then letters from three different departments who do not respond to emails, not forgetting the “facilitation fee”. Apparently doing things the right way still comes with unofficial charges.
That same government turns around and announces a Youth Empowerment Fund whereby millions are promised, big ceremonies, and motivational speeches. But when you try to apply, it’s like playing a scratch card. The criteria are vague, the process is foggy, and the outcome, mostly disappointing. Maybe your cousin’s friend with connections will get lucky. The rest of us just waste time and get no feedback.
This is how young people’s dreams die, slowly through endless paperwork and false promises.
What happens next? Young people flock to the informal sector. Not because they
want to, but because it’s the only space that feels alive. It’s the only place where you can just start. No 47 permits, no mysterious fees, no waiting forever for someone in an office who’s always “in a meeting”. The tragedy is not that the informal sector exists, rather our policies make it the only viable option for the majority. If it had been easier to do business the right way, rather than under the table, imagine where Africa would be right now economically.
Let’s be honest, if you’ve tried to run a business in Africa, you’ve probably learned two things:
- Your whole family and group of friends will ask for a free sample.
- The government will find a way to tax you before you’ve made your first dollar.
Starting up here feels like running a race while dragging an elephant called bureaucracy.
On the other hand, our generation is different. We’re digital. We know how to code, design, create content, and sell to the world with nothing but data and a phone. In Mutare, Nairobi, Lagos, young people are doing amazing things on and off social media, building apps, freelancing for clients in London, and launching clothing brands from their bedrooms. Meanwhile, regulators still think TikTok is witchcraft.
Then as young people we ask, why are we still funding and applying 1960s laws to 21st-century innovation? Why is it easier to buy bundles to binge Netflix than to register a business online? Why does starting a crypto company feel like a heist?
We’re not saying it should be a free-for-all. Liberty isn’t lawlessness. It’s about fair rules, not rulers. It’s about clarity, not chaos. Even taxes? Sure, if they’re fair,
transparent, and don’t come wrapped in mystery charges. So what do young Africans actually want?
- Affordable internet (one that does not let us choose between Wi-Fi and rent).
- Mobile money policies that make sense, and are conducive for businesses to flourish.
- A chance to sell across borders without being hit by trade policies protection fees.
- The freedom to start small without being asked, “Where’s your license?”
We don’t need another empowerment fund with nice branding and no follow-through!
Liberty means the baker next door can turn her cakes into income without paying bribes. It means the graphic designer in Mutare can get paid by an overseas client without the bank freezing the funds for security checks. It means trying something new without worrying that some outdated law is about to shut you down. Top-down development hasn’t worked. We’ve had the conferences and the slogans, yet we’re still here. It’s time for bottom-up freedom whereby young people don’t have to wait for permission to act.
If the government truly embraces economic progress, they must learn to support by stepping back. Sometimes the most powerful policy we seek as young people is
simply for the government to not get in the way. What’s missing is economic freedom, the ability to grow and innovate without being blocked at every turn.
As a wise man once said,
“IF YOU’RE NOT OUTRAGED YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!”
This piece solely expresses the opinion of the author and not necessarily the magazine as a whole. SpeakFreely is committed to facilitating a broad dialogue for liberty, representing a variety of opinions. Support freedom and independent journalism by donating today.
