Why are the youth not voting in Africa?

The issue of youth not voting during elections is a significant concern in many African nations. For instance, in Tanzania’s 2020 general elections, there was a low voter turnout of 15 percent among voters aged between 18 to 25 years, which was lower than the overall turnout of 50 percent.

The same trend was observed in Uganda’s 2021 presidential elections, with the voter turnout among youth reported as low as 8 percent.

However, things were different in Ethiopia’s 2021 parliamentary election where the election recorded a high voter turnout of 90 percent, although the young people’s participation was high but it was not as high as expected.

In Burundi’s 2020 presidential election, the voter turnout among young people was reported low, with estimates suggesting that less than 10 percent of registered voters between 18 to 25 years participated in the election.

Similarly, estimates show that less than 15 percent of registered voters between 18 to 35 years of age participated in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) 2018 presidential election.

In South Sudan’s 2018 referendum, estimates suggest that less than 20 percent of the registered voters between the ages of 18 to 35 participated in the referendum to determine the number of states in the country.

According to the Uganda Youth Network (UYONET), the voter turnout among young people during the 2021 Uganda presidential elections was as low as 8 percent, significantly lower than the overall voter turnout of 57.2 percent. Out of the 18 million registered voters, only about 400,000 young voters aged between 18 to 25 years old turned out to cast their ballots.

Similarly, during Kenya’s 2022 General election, youth voter turnout was low, with only 39.84 percent (8.8 million) of the total registered voters being youth, a decline of 5.17 percent from the 2017 figures.

Additionally, only 47 percent of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 35 participated in the 2017 presidential election in Kenya, which was lower than the overall turnout of 80 percent of voters.

The recently concluded Nigerian 2023 General election has once again highlighted the issue of youth voter apathy in the country and the continent as a whole.

In that election, there were about 93.4 million registered voters, out of these, 37 million were young people, but only 24.9 million young people showed up to cast their ballots. This is an indication of a disappointingly low youth turnout during elections.

However, there is hope. Rwanda provides an example of an African country that has successfully addressed the issue of youth voter apathy.

In the 2017 presidential election, an estimated 74 percent of registered voters aged between 18 to 35 years participated in the general election.

So, why is there a significant percentage of young people failing to turn out to vote during elections? The reasons for this may vary from one person to another ranging from a lack of trust in the political system and a lack of interest in politics to a belief that their vote will not make a difference.

However, young people in Africa should understand that the policies and decisions made by governments and political leaders can either support or hinder economic growth and development. Every vote counts and young people must take an active role in shaping the direction of their nations.

In democratic states, the citizens (the voters) have all the power or authority to put a particular political party or government into the system. 

During elections, voters get opportunities to express their collective decision and opinions based on a specific politician or a political party, so they elect their government officials (representatives).

Thus, the consequences of low youth turnout during elections might be severe in Africa and could affect the future direction of African nations.