Can Gen Z Protests Reshape Governance in Africa?

While a change in government is often called for in these protests, Madagascar is a cautionary tale in how corrupt and weak institutions can remain entrenched even after protests. In Madagascar, youth protests erupted in September 2025 over chronic water and power shortages and rapidly escalated into nationwide calls for political overhaul. Ironically, the ousted president, Andry Rajoelina, came to power in 2009 at 34 following protests. Now, under the leadership of the military, Madagascar has no clear path to stronger democratic institutions.

This pattern reflects a broader dilemma: Protests can spotlight grievances and even unseat leaders, but without strategic political engagement, they rarely yield systemic change. History offers cautionary parallels. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, for example, built a political career by mobilizing youth through armed struggle before transitioning into decades-long rule opposed by many of the youth in Uganda’s population. Likewise, in Burkina Faso, President Ibrahim Traoré has garnered youthful support by positioning himself as a break from old elites, yet his military-led government has shrunk civic space and centralized power even as it pursues food security, economic independence, and national sovereignty. These examples underscore the limitation of protests alone without a political strategy.

The central challenge for Gen Z protests is not mobilization, but transformation. According to Afrobarometer data, African youth lag behind the older generation in political and civic participation, except when it comes to participation in protests. Protests alone cannot substitute for political strategy. The speed of social media–driven work cannot be substituted for the slow, disciplined work of institutional, legislative, and economic reform. These protests are effective in identifying and spotlighting problems, but without a strategy, these actions rarely outlast election cycles or leadership changes.

The ultimate success of these Gen-Z–led protests will depend on their ability to build alliances with civil society, labor unions, and, in some cases, the private sector to turn temporary protests into lasting institutional change. The story of Gen-Z–led protests in Africa is still unfolding. As we look to the future, several potentially triggering events are on the horizon, including upcoming elections in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, which carry risks of increased civil unrest. Simultaneously, a reduction in international funding for democracy and governance support programs has also created a challenging environment for civic organizers to sustain their activities.

These reoccurring Gen-Z–led protests offer critical lessons for policymakers regarding the implications of bad governance and the rise of a highly networked, digital native generation. But they also create opportunities for learning and for governments to cocreate new approaches with young people in their countries. Nevertheless, the biggest test ahead is whether these Gen-Z–led protests can transition from resistance to real change: Can protestors shift their actions from protesting what they oppose to truly defining and working to build the future systems and institutions they seek? And will leaders and institutions recognize the opportunity that lies within this demographic and adapt?

The long-term impacts of these Gen-Z–led protests remain uncertain, and only time will tell if this rising wave of activism will solidify into permanent policy shifts and institutional reform, or simply become another, albeit louder, chapter in the history of African generational dissent.

Khasai Makhulo is a research assistant with the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Oge Onubogu is director and senior fellow of the Africa Program at CSIS.