Abstract:
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 posed prominent public policy concerns. It posed many
unanswered questions, especially among the youth who require social protection in different contexts. The pandemic
spread over 200 countries worldwide, infecting over 640 million individuals and resulting in the deaths of over 6.5 million
people. However, the pandemic has a similar fundamental consequence, marked by widespread inequality across
households and individuals. It is estimated that its consequences might be more detrimental, particularly among the youth
in low-income families like Tanzania. The country received significant global attention for its COVID-19 response during
the first year of the pandemic since it did not share pandemic statistics, implement lockdowns, and question vaccine
efficacy while emphasizing traditional medicines. Despite the progress made, the ripple effects of the pandemic are still
felt in the country and will probably remain for a long and drive policies for generations to come. Still, there is scanty
information about how the youth have been affected by the pandemic, particularly in urban areas, and relatively little is
known about the relationships between youth, urban mobility, and COVID-19 trajectories for peace and development in
the country. This chapter uses Tanzania as a case study to assess the nexus between youth, urban mobility, and COVID 19 trajectories for African peace and development. The chapter relied on secondary data collected through a systematic
review. Content analysis was applied to analyze the data. The chapter reveals several studies on youth and COVID-19 in
Tanzania. Nevertheless, these studies are very few. Like other parts of Africa and the world over, COVID-19 has
significantly impacted the youth in Tanzania. It also revealed determinants and challenges, like social, economic, health,
mental, and learning effects, of urban youth mobility in the face of COVID-19. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has largely
affected the lives of youth, this chapter provides relevant information that will prompt responsible authorities to adopt
effective response measures for addressing the pandemic for enhanced peace and development in Tanzania and Africa.
Keywords: youth; urban mobility; COVID-19 trajectories; peace and development
