Afrobarometer Report: Majority of African youth disillusioned with democracy

Afrobarometer’s flagship report on Democratic Trends in Africa has found that the majority of young people are dissatisfied with democratic governance in their countries.

The report, which surveyed 39 countries across Africa, indicates a growing disillusionment with democracy among the youth, who are increasingly leaning towards military rule as a temporary solution to the failures of civilian leaders.

Various factors have contributed to this trend, including unemployment, corruption, and a lack of accountability.

Boniface Dulani, Director of Surveys at Afrobarometer, shared these insights during the report’s launch in Accra on Wednesday.

He expressed concern over this trend, noting that most young people in this generation have not experienced military rule and are therefore unaware of its associated dangers.

“Most of the youth have never experienced military rule, so they might be looking at it as something to try because democracy is failing. But if you’ve lived through a military regime, you might know that as bad as democracy is, it’s certainly better than that kind of government.

“However, about 53% of Africans, are telling us that if governments are failing or abusing office, then the military should step in to clear that but at the same time, many people are also rejecting military rule, even though the numbers are declining.”

“So what this tells us is that the military rule is being looked at as an option when civilians have failed and they’re looked at as a temporary solution, not a permanent one,” he said.

Mr Dulani urged governments to take the concerns of their citizens seriously and address them adequately.

“Governments should never take people for granted, because although there was an excitement for democracy in the 1990s, what we’re seeing now is that people are not happy with democracy and asking themselves questions of what democracy is really offering to them and trying to find other alternatives,” he added.