Africa’s Youth Aren’t Disengaged—They’ve Just Moved Online

A cultural shift is taking place, where political and civic action is increasingly taking place online. Youth activism has moved to digital or online activism. Nigeria’s #EndSARS campaign in October 2020 was carried by about 1.5 million Instagram posts and about 48 million tweets, and 158–273 million post impressions globally. This was a social movement calling for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit in the Nigerian Police that was known for abusing citizens, especially the youth. The #EndSARS protests spanned days and weeks, catching the attention of the global media. The hashtags spurred anger across the nation, causing the streets of Nigeria to fill with young people chanting the hashtags. Despite this, African youth continue to be labeled disengaged or apathetic towards civic engagement; they may have just moved online.

Afrobarometer R9 (2022/2023) data indicate that African youth are less politically engaged than older generations. Across 39 African countries surveyed, the data indicated that 63% of youth are less likely to vote in elections, as compared to 84% of older citizens; 37% of the youth identify with a political party, 43% will attend a community meeting, and 39% are willing to join others to raise an issue. Does analysis of this data tell us that the youth are not interested in politics and governance, or is it that the youth in Africa just do not engage with politics and social issues traditionally?

Before the age of social media, the best ways to engage and speak out against the government and raise awareness on social issues were through direct actions like physically coming together as a community; attending a community meeting or townhall, being an active member of a political or community group that tries to influence the public or government; working or volunteering for a political party or candidate and attending an organized protest. Some of the organised protests, though well-intentioned, have led to violence and conflict, like the service delivery protests in South Africa. These are known as “burn to be heard”, pushing the government to act in the interest of the public. Data shows that adults aged between 15-35 are less likely to participate in these activities. However, it is possible that the youth are engaged in democracy but just in a different way than many have come to accept and understand as democratic participation and civic engagement.

Online activism and advocacy have allowed for fast mobilisation and breaking down geographical obstacles, allowing millions all over the world to participate. Issues are discussed and debated in real time. More young Africans have been able to be involved in political and social issues, birthing several social movements in the last decade across the continent: #EndSARS in Nigeria; #RejectFinanceBill2024 in Kenya; #FeesMustFall in South Africa; #FreeSenegal; #OccupyJulorbiHouse in Ghana; #ZimbabweanLivesMatter and #ThisFlag in Zimbabwe.

These movements have amassed numbers that have reached thousands and even millions. In Ghana, #OccupyJulorbi, a blend of “Occupy” with Jubilee House (Ghana’s presidential office and residence) and the Ga phrase Julor Bi (child of a thief), was mentioned in about 1.76 million tweets across X (formerly Twitter) from about 720,000 users. Protestors and online users used the hashtag to criticize the ruling government for mismanaging the country. In Kenya,  #OccupyParliament and # RejectFinanceBill2024 dominated social media platforms like TikTok, WhatsApp, X, and Instagram for days, to the point where organisers were able to successfully crowdfund using digital platforms to pay for transport to allow others to join the protests in Nairobi.

Research focused on social movement organisations found that while nearly three-quarters of young people reported engaging in political activity, only 10% were members of an organisation, suggesting that most young people are participating in advocacy and activism behaviours outside of a formal structure. This indicates that the youth are deviating from the conventional method of advocacy and activism.

Online social movements are not perfect and have been criticised as “slacktivism”, where a person can be in the comfort of their home and simply like, post, report, comment, or react to a post and a hashtag. Nevertheless, the numbers do not lie, and these reactions have gotten millions to engage in issues where previously acquiring such numbers and reactions would have been difficult and taken months or years to gather.

The recent R10 Afrobarometer survey (2024/2025) shows that across 28 African countries, a large majority of respondents (between 85–95%) say they do not post about politics or community affairs on social media. This only tells a part of the story, since on social media, a user can be politically engaged without actively posting. They may follow activists' accounts, join different social media groups, attend IG lives or X spaces, or even simply like, share, or directly message (DM) government officials. Also, these movements are episodic. They spike during a crisis or a trending event. That does not diminish their impact or significance, but the question should be asked: how do we make this consistent?

The added problem of online social movements in Africa is that only 38% of the population has access to the internet. Millions of Africans remain offline because of high service costs, digital illiteracy, and a lack of reliable connectivity. Nonetheless, mobile broadband covers 86% of the continent, with this proportion reaching 25% in rural areas, allowing for social media connectivity and networking. Digital citizenship in the region is largely driven by the youth, particularly those in urban areas. Those outside of the cities struggle with a consistent and reliable internet connection. These roadblocks do not take away from the impact and mobilisation that digital advocacy can create.

If we want to strengthen African states’ democracy and increase youth involvement, the political conversation and space should move online. Other recommendations that should be considered:

1.   CSOs, NGOs, and grassroots organisations need to rethink the understanding of civic engagement and learn from these online social movements to advocate and engage with policymakers.

2.   There needs to be proper and enforced policies on the continent relating to internet access and affordability for citizens.

3.   Mechanisms to avoid infiltration and internet shutdown as a tool to quell social movements.

4.   Policymakers should begin to consider and hear online citizen voices and engage with the digital space. 

Elikem Gadzekpo is a Legal and Policy Officer at CDD-Ghana, a member of the African Policy Circle.