Is Gen Z Reshaping Africa's Political Landscape?
By Charles A. Ray - October 15, 2025
In
“Does Africa Matter to the United States?”, published by FPRI on
January 11, 2021, it was argued that the youth of Africa, who currently
account for almost half the continent’s population, could become
recruits for extremist movements if they are not provided gainful
employment and economic opportunities. What that article failed to
address is the possibility that Africa’s youth, if denied opportunity,
can also pose a direct threat to governments.
Recent events
across sub-Saharan Africa, where youth-led protests have challenged
entrenched leadership, raise the possibility that the changes forecast
in the article mentioned above could unfold well ahead of 2050, when
African youth will be one of the world’s largest demographics.
Across Africa, the “Youth Bubble” is Rising
In
September 2025, hundreds of young protesters took to the streets across
Morocco, seeking improvements in government services and an end to
endemic corruption. Demonstrators, organized by a movement known as GenZ
212, have staged protests in at least eleven of Morocco’s cities,
including Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakesh. They are urging more
investment in public health and education and denouncing what they call
misplaced national priorities—among them is the government’s
multibillion-dollar investment in football infrastructure in preparation
for the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup soccer events, while
women are dying in maternity hospitals because of the lack of sufficient
medical staff. These have been some of the largest anti-government
demonstrations in Morocco since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and
resulted in an aggressive security force response and the arrest of
hundreds.
Gen-Z protests in Kenya in June 2025 saw young people
across the nation taking to the streets, demanding justice,
accountability, and a better future. Eight young protestors were killed
in a confrontation with police, and one lost fingers when a tear gas
canister he was attempting to throw back at riot police exploded in his
hands. While these protests have not resulted in any immediate change,
observers note that they have shaken the political landscape and are
likely to impact the future direction of governance in Kenya. The Kenya
protests, organized by youth activists and civil society groups, reflect
the frustration of young people with government policies, police
brutality, and economic hardships. While protests over tax hikes in 2024
led to some reforms, including abandoning of the proposed tax
legislation, it remains to be seen if this year’s protests will have
similar results.
A week-long series of protests in late September
and early October 2025, by young people in Madagascar over water and
electricity shortages, led to the dissolution of President Andry
Rajoelina’s government on September 29 and Rajoelina fleeing the country
with French military assistance on October 13. The protests, which also
called for broad political reforms, were reportedly inspired by
protests in Kenya and Nepal. Police response to the demonstrations in
Madagascar resulted in at least twenty-two dead and about 100 injured.
The Broader Context and Implications for the Future of Africa
In
Africa, people under thirty make up over 70 percent of the population,
with a median age of 19.3. This young population contends with high
unemployment, rising cost of living, and an aging and entrenched
political leadership. Gen Z, however, is rising and changing the face of
protest. Equipped with smartphones, social media, and no reluctance to
challenge authority, they are disrupting economies, impacting government
policy, and, in all too many cases, provoking violent crackdowns that
are only further fueling their movements. With access to the internet,
they are influenced by events worldwide and, through social media and
other high-tech communications, can mobilize large crowds throughout a
country on a moment’s notice. In 2025, a wave of mass protests swept
across Africa: From Nairobi to Lagos, Accra to Dakar, tens of thousands
of angry young people faced tear gas and live bullets to speak out
against hunger and inequality, and the movement shows no sign of
abating.
A decentralized, digital organization has characterized
youth-led protests. They’re often organized through social media
platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter, and show a willingness
to challenge the established political structures. These protests
reflect ever-increasing frustrations among young Africans and the
inability or refusal of governments to address these issues. On a
continent where the population is so young, with a median age of just
over nineteen, the average age of African leaders in 2024 was 64.3. Over
72 percent of the leaders are over sixty. Many of these leaders have
been in power for twenty years or more and show no signs of a
willingness to step aside or share power with younger counterparts,
leading the young population to feel excluded from the political
process.
In contrast to anti-government movements of previous
decades, social media has played a crucial role in organizing current
protests, enabling rapid mobilization and communication not just
locally, but also regionally and even internationally. Few of the
elderly leaders or their governments are experienced in the use of
social media, and the use of satellite communications complicates any
efforts to disrupt activist communication networks. Current protests
have been able to gain momentum and reach a much wider audience than in
the past.
Government responses to the protests have also fueled
them. In some cases, such as the Kenyan government’s response to
protests against proposed tax hikes, governments engaged in dialogue and
gave in to protestors’ demands. In others, such as in Morocco and
Madagascar, governments resorted to heavy-handed tactics, including mass
arrests and violence, which only inflamed protests. In the case of
Madagascar, these tactics led to the military siding with the protestors
and the government falling. Violent government responses also raise
continental and international concerns about abuses of human rights and
the suppression of free _expression_, which can have serious economic
consequences for the affected nations.
Africa is at a pivotal
point in politics. Gen-Z continues to raise its voice in protest,
demanding accountability from its leaders and a seat at the table of
political decision-making. The political landscape of Africa is already
changing and is likely to continue changing in ways that we can only
imagine at this point. What is happening in Africa is not an isolated
example, either. Similar protests led by Gen-Z have taken place in
Nepal, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Serbia. Gen Z, which makes up 30
percent of the global population, is the largest generational group.
Having grown up in the digital age, this group is technologically savvy
and highly connected on social media. This is also one of the most
diverse generations, and because of their social media connectedness,
they are influenced by global connections.
The bottom line is
that Gen-Z will transform Africa’s political, economic, and social
landscape, as will their counterparts in the rest of the world.