Caramba Souare focuses on cleaning the car in front of him despite a din of surrounding festivities on the last day of presidential campaigning in Guinea-Bissau.

Since leaving school, the 20-year-old has turned to washing cars to support himself and his parents.

While he had once dreamed of becoming finance minister, a lack of opportunity and money proved a reality check on his career goals, as is the case with many young people in Guinea-Bissau.

The small west African nation is one of the poorest in the world and around 40 percent of the population live in extreme poverty.

Young people under the age of 25 represent 65 percent of the country's population of 2.2 million.

"I passed my final school exam this year but I couldn't afford further education," Souare told AFP.

"Instead of sta

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