Contrary to what some surveys have shown in the past, African youth aged below 24 are not walking away from democracy. A new report says they want leaders who are more accountable and who are elected through locally acceptable means.
According to data published on Wednesday, it is their impatience towards leaders who make promises but fail to deliver that could continue to grow.
The African Youth Survey 2026 shows that young adults aged 18–24, also known as Gen Z, want a democratic system in which leaders are accountable to the public. They want leaders who reflect local realities and work to elevate the population from poverty by creating jobs and enabling thriving business environments.
The data was collected in March this year through in-person interviews across the continent. The study was commissioned by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation in South Africa and conducted by the consultancy firm PSB Insights. A total of 4,901 young Africans aged 18 to 24 from 16 countries were interviewed, with an equal number of men and women from countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, South Africa, and Nigeria.
The study generally showed that Gen Zs believe they can influence politics on the continent, but they are frustrated by existing political structures that prevent leaders from being held accountable.
More than a third of Gen Z in Nigeria (38 per cent), less than half in South Africa (48 per cent) and an equal number in Congo Brazzaville say their voice matters to the national leadership.
Across the continent, many young people supported democracy, where leaders are freely chosen and people enjoy free speech. They also want elected leaders to be continuously scrutinised for their decisions. Such sentiments were strongest in Zambia and Kenya, where eight in ten young people believed in democracy.
However, as frustrations with supposedly corrupt leaders mount, desperate young people have supported leaders who appear to be able to change the trajectory of a country, even if they do not come to power through elections.
In Burkina Faso, where the country has been led by junta leader Ibrahim Traoré for four years, 49 per cent of young people said democracy is preferable. However, 44 percent said they would support a non-democratic government under certain circumstances.
Traoré came to power following a coup, accusing the elected government at the time of failing to address security and economic issues. He has encountered similar issues, but has increased his popularity by streamlining decision-making processes. He has recently supported local businesses, including by procuring local designs for army cadets. However, he still faces old security problems and poverty.
The data follows a recent trend. Soon after the end of the pandemic in 2023, the Open Society Foundations conducted a survey for theOpen Society Barometer: Can Democracy Deliver?, in which 36,000 people were surveyed across 30 countries, including several in Africa, found that democracy was still favoured overall, with 86 per cent preferring it. Among 18–35-year-olds, however, only 57 per cent said any form of democracy was preferable (versus 71 per cent of older respondents). The study showed that 42 percent of the younger group were influenced by frustrations with elected leaders to view military rule as a good way to run a country. This explains why junta leaders have become popular in some countries, as people believe that they could eliminate corrupt politicians.
Fast forward to 2026 and a new survey shows that many young people are cautious rather than pessimistic about Africa’s democratic prospects. More negativity is seen in countries where impunity is more pronounced or those struggling with conflict and governance issues. “Negativity remains pronounced in Kenya (70 per cent) and South Africa (69 per cent), where seven-in-ten youth believe the continent is headed in the wrong direction. “Uncertainty is highest in Ethiopia (26 per cent), followed by Zimbabwe (20 per cent) and Mozambique (18 per cent). All three countries appear on the World Bank’s 2026 list of Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations.”
However, countries such as Somalia and Burkina Faso break the trend.
The most optimistic countries are Rwanda (68 percent), Somalia (66 per cent), Burkina Faso (60 per cent) and Ghana (60 per cent). In Ghana, optimism has risen by 24 percentage points since 2024, likely as a result of the government change in 2025.
Ivor Ichikowitz, the South African businessman and founder of the African Youth Survey, said that Africa must listen to its young people and be honest with them.
'They have not abandoned democracy. They have abandoned the patience to be lectured about democracy by leaders and institutions that cannot deliver work, safety, fairness, clean government and a future worth staying for,” he said. “That is why an African form of democracy is not a retreat from democratic values. It is the only way to make them real. Africa’s young people want elections, rights and freedom of speech, but they also want systems rooted in their own societies, capable of holding nations together, creating jobs – and giving communities a genuine voice. If they don’t get that then we risk losing a generation it is meant to serve.”
The survey has been conducted annually since 2020, during the pandemic. It is intended to help policymakers understand the new generation. Traditionally, politicians have relied on the youth vote to remain in office. However, frustration with broken promises means this could pose a new risk to office holders.
Many of those polled said that the leaders they had elected had become disconnected from local realities after entering office.
Ichikowitz said governments that genuinely engage with young people, involve them in decision-making processes, and create leadership opportunities would harness enormous energy and innovation. “Those that continue to treat youth as spectators rather than partners risk becoming increasingly disconnected from the societies they govern.”
