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
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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.
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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.
Charles A. Ray, a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Africa Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, served as US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe.
