What is Driving the Gen Z Protests in Africa?

By Farid Abdulhamid

The wave of protests sweeping across Africa led by young people — commonly tagged as “Gen Z protests” reflects a shifting dynamic in social mobilization. Protests have erupted in Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Madagascar and Cameroon among other countries. Issues range from tax reforms, electoral politics, corruption, cost of living crisis as well as  state patronage and bad governance blamed on the old-guard.

 The most common cause fueling Gen Z-led unrest is high youth unemployment & economic insecurity:

Many African countries have very large youth cohorts entering the labour market, yet job creation is not keeping up. According to one report: “working-age population will expand by more than 600 million over the next 25 years” in sub-Saharan Africa.

Another key factor driving the protests is the rising cost of living & inflation. The pandemic, supply-chain shocks and global crises (e.g., Ukraine war) have pushed up food and fuel prices, squeezing young people who often already had precarious livelihoods.

Analysts also point to the poor quality or under-investment in public services. Many protests centre around  basic public services—healthcare, education, infrastructure. For example in Morocco, youth under the banner “Gen Z 212” demanded “better health and education” and lambasted big spending on sports infrastructure while hospitals and schools remain neglected.

Likewise, unresponsive governments, and endemic state corruption  have sparked protests in a number of restive countries. Young people often feel excluded from decision-making, and frustrated by governments that appear unresponsive or mired in patronage.

Mismatch between visible state spending and everyday reality is a recurring trigger of protests. Governments investing visibly in mega projects (state of the art stadiums etc) while everyday services lag has antagonized protesters.  In Morocco the dominant slogan among protesters was “We want hospitals, not stadiums.”

Digital connectivity + global awareness has empowered Africa’s Gen Z’s to take to the streets and make demands. This generation is highly networked and able to compare their situation with peers around the world. They are less willing to accept status-quo.

Equipped with smartphones, and social media, they are disrupting the established order and shaking the status quo.

In most cases, particularly during the Kenyan anti-tax revolt, Gen Z’s mode of mobilization was rooted in a leaderless / decentralized/non-tribal movement. Unlike traditional protests which often had prominent leadership or party backing, many Gen Z protests are spontaneous, networked, and without central figures.

  Such leaderless movements are difficult for authorities to track, demobilize, negotiate with, or co-opt.

Perhaps the biggest weapon in the hands of the Gen Z’s is the extensive use of social media & digital tools. Platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Discord, WhatsApp, Instagram are used to organise, spread awareness and mobilise quickly.

In Kenya, for instance, hashtags such as #RejectFinanceBill2024 trended and videos on popular platforms translated the detrimental effects of the bill in local dialects.

Often times, the result is a rapid spill-over from online forums into the streets. A local grievance (e.g., a policy change, death in a police custody, tax hike) can become a national movement within days through digital amplification where tools designed for entertainment are turned into instruments of revolution.

By far, the Gen Z protests in the continent are not ideologically-driven. Rather than being dogmatic, the essence of the demos appear pragmatic, with a focus on everyday rights & services rather than ideological agendas. Hence many of the demands are concrete: jobs, better schools, reliable healthcare, less corruption.

Consequently, the protests are described as “apolitical … focusing on tangible service delivery rather than ideological positions."  Generally, the youth utilize digital activism, art (murals, music) and street demonstrations. 

While largely peaceful, the Kenyan protests against Finance Bill 2024 took a violent turn when goons descended on the streets looting and causing wanton destruction in Nairobi’s central business district  while a group of protesters breached the Kenya Parliament precincts setting on fire a section of the building.  The Kenyan government claimed the protests were infiltrated and hijacked by a group of organized criminals bent on causing mayhem on the streets.

Yielding to the protesters, the Kenyan government rescinded the Finance Bill tabling a watered-down version.

What are the potential implications for the protests?

Governments may increasingly feel pressure from younger voters — With youth making up large portions of the population in many African countries, their voices matter not just culturally but politically.

The protests may force policy shift toward social services. The emphasis on “jobs, health, education” may push priorities away from large infrastructure projects toward social-service delivery mechanisms.

The risk of repression & instability remains particularly high. Many of these protests have been met with heavy-handed responses (arrests, abductions, extra-judicial killings, force) and if young people feel unheard, it could lead to further escalation.

The street demos may spark new forms of civic participation given that this generation might be less inclined to traditional party politics and more in tune with digital activism, street action, issue-based organizing.

Gen Z mobilization also faces the challenge of sustainability. Some analysts point out the leaderless structure makes long-term strategy and negotiation harder. At the same time, it makes the consolidation of the  movement difficult.

Given the spontaneous nature of the protests, the movement may lose steam. It remains to be seen whether the street mobilizations may adopt a leadership structure coupled with ideological paradigms that can sustain a long-term vision and a well-defined political roadmap critical in sustaining the longevity of the movement.