Young people’s political participation in Africa is shifting from traditional channels such as the ballot box and political parties toward protests, social media campaigns and encrypted messaging groups. This change suggests that young people are reshaping how they engage in politics rather than turning away from it.
In surveys conducted by Afrobarometer across 39 countries with 53,444 respondents, young people lagged behind older generations in voting, establishing ties with political parties and contacting local officials. Young people’s voter turnout was 18 percentage points lower than that of older generations, while the gap reached 29 points in Senegal.
By contrast, protesting was among the forms of participation that young people used more than older generations. Data from 1999 to 2021 showed that as the share of the young population increased in sub-Saharan Africa, voter turnout declined while participation in protests rose.
Representation and economic problems are distancing young people from traditional politics
Unemployment, shortcomings in public services, a lack of political representation and dissatisfaction with accountability are increasing young people’s distance from existing political structures. Fergus Kell, a research fellow at Chatham House’s Africa Programme, said young people were struggling to find a way forward within formal political structures and were therefore seeking new channels for participation.
According to Kell, young people believe that political structures are controlled by a narrow elite, do not provide sufficient accountability to the public and have remained unchanged despite corruption scandals. Kell said opposition parties were also struggling to respond to young people’s expectations.
Kell said these parties could be seen as part of narrow political circles that did not emerge from broad sections of society, adding that state repression also made it difficult for the opposition to operate effectively.
Digital spaces have become a foundation for organizing youth movements
As urbanization and internet use have expanded, young people’s political activism has moved onto digital platforms. Calls for protests are issued on social media, provisions of draft laws are shared and security forces’ interventions are recorded.
Studies examining 12 major youth protests between 2023 and 2025 found that social media and encrypted messaging applications enabled movements in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco and Madagascar to organize outside traditional political structures.
Kell said social media enabled protesters to define themselves around broad narratives or hashtags. He said these platforms allowed them to connect more quickly with diaspora communities, while internet shutdowns and platform restrictions created significant obstacles for the movements.
Kenya’s youth protests proceeded independently of political parties
Protests that began in Kenya in 2024 against the government’s Finance Bill, which included tax increases, developed largely under the leadership of young people and independently of political parties. Social media was used to share provisions of the bill, announce protest locations, record security forces’ interventions and open lawmakers’ positions to public debate.
People who posted on social media about politics or social issues were 1.9 times more likely to take part in the protests than those who did not post. After the protests, the government withdrew its tax proposals and President William Ruto dissolved his cabinet.
Kell said at least 60 protesters had died as a result of security forces’ intervention during the protests in Kenya. He said the protests had resulted in the withdrawal of the tax proposals and the dissolution of the cabinet, adding that efforts to formalize a long-term political movement were continuing.
Nigeria, Senegal and Madagascar saw different protest dynamics
In Nigeria, the #EndSARS movement stood out as images of police violence spread on social media and protests were coordinated across different cities. In Senegal, young people’s reactions to democracy and governance moved into the streets through digital campaigns.
In Madagascar, youth demonstrations that began in 2025 over water and electricity shortages quickly turned into anti-government protests. The “Gen Z Mada” movement’s demands concerning daily living conditions later evolved into demands for political accountability and a change in government.
Kell said Africa’s “Gen Z” movements should not be treated as a homogeneous phenomenon. Although they share some characteristics, he said the causes and outcomes of the protests varied considerably from country to country.
Internet restrictions hinder coordination among youth movements
The growing power of digital mobilization has also increased governments’ control over the internet. Africa saw 30 internet shutdowns in 15 countries in 2025, 14 of which took place in eight countries during periods of protests or political instability.
Internet and social media restrictions make it harder for youth movements without centralized leadership to communicate and coordinate. The digital sphere has also become a new arena of struggle over disinformation and political manipulation.
Kell said movements organized through social media faced difficulties in moving beyond street protests and creating lasting political change. He said the ability of traditional political structures and established elites to preserve their power made it difficult for youth movements to bring about long-term political transformation.
Emphasizing that political conditions differ across African countries, Kell said youth movements would not follow the same path everywhere. He said it was possible to operate within existing political structures in some countries, while in others young people needed to develop new approaches suited to their circumstances.
