By Toyin Falola
This is a long read on an important subject. We are about to phase out, in the next three years, the Gen Z and replace them with the Gen Alpha. The first set will graduate from high school in the 2025/2026 session. Get ready!
Africa is strangely plagued with a long list of issues that have endured for many years despite being a nation full of possibilities. A widespread and persistent taint of corruption has crept into the fabric of government, undermining confidence and development. For young people, in particular, the high unemployment rate paints a depressing picture of wasted potential and unfulfilled aspirations. Outdated political structures and a leadership class more focused on preserving power than fostering an innovative environment often eclipse the promise of democracy. Also, economic instability induced by government errors and global inflation puts many millions of people on the brink of destitution.
Despite the persistent challenges, Africans have, over several decades, developed tools to navigate this volatile environment, tenaciously persisting and adjusting through demanding times. Still, over a great part of the continent’s history, collective actions against these systematic flaws have been sporadic and essentially reactionary. Many Africans, especially the older generations, have accepted the government’s shortcomings as inevitable, a weight that cannot be avoided, rather than issues that must be actively addressed. Cultural standards that emphasize respect for authority and the idea that change must start from the highest levels of political power have further eroded the concept of responsibility.
Born into a continent already suffering from political stagnation, economic inequalities, and unrest, Gen Alpha is poised to join this reality. Unlike their predecessors, this generation is being raised with the required tools to address problems rather than merely inheriting them. Equipped with an intuitive knowledge of technology, a strong sense of global citizenship, and a creative streak that blossoms even in the face of shortage, Gen Alpha is rewriting the script.
These children and teenagers are growing up in an atmosphere where demands for accountability, activism, and demonstrations are no longer subdued but rather yelled loudly on global forums. As the first generation to witness the full potential of online activism in real time, they allow even the voices of the most underprivileged people to start movements that transcend national borders. Gen Alpha is showing a relentless need to create their responses, question accepted fate, and demand more from those in charge in a nation where governments have regularly fallen short of their promises.
This generation is not waiting for a revolution; they are steadily creating one in a calm, consistent, and peaceful manner. The activities they engage in reflect a notable shift in the African social fabric, defined by a rejection of blind patriotism, the challenge of complacency, and the embrace of responsibility and creativity as essential tools for nation-building. Gen Alpha is fundamentally a reflection of the creativity to make the ideal of a better Africa a reality and the boldness to dream of such.
Africa’s Gen Alpha is ready to challenge conventional wisdom and bring in a new age connected with responsibility, development, and innovation at a time when young movements all around the world have been responsible for overthrowing governments, redefining economies, and reshaping societal norms. Their activities are already being felt in homes, schools, and internet groups, and this is only the beginning. This generation will redefine wealth creation outside the idea of handouts, hold power responsible in a manner never seen before, and use technology to realize goals.
With Gen Alpha, Africa is entering a new era, not merely experiencing the birth of a new generation. This is not just because they were born in 2010 upwards, but because they are growing up in a world quite different from prior generations, which sets them apart from any other generation. The early memories of these children and teenagers are shaped by a society full of connectivity and creativity. Globally, they are the offspring of Millennials—a generation that bridged the gap between analogue and digital technologies. Gen Alpha has only ever known the smooth integration of technology into daily life. Their environment is one in which everything is on demand, including smart devices and touchscreens, which are rather the norm.
When kids grow up, they begin their entrepreneurial path with their first YouTube channel or coding project, where creativity becomes a form of money. Gen Alpha is starting businesses, creating content, and influencing markets across the globe even before they reach the age required to vote. Their technical knowledge is not learned; rather, it comes naturally, paving the way for a future generation that will rethink what it means to create, work, and live. While these traits are global, they are especially unique in Africa, where the furnace of political and economic changes has shaped the Gen Alpha.
Unlike their counterparts in more stable countries, Gen Alpha in Africa is personally familiar with the consequences of malfunctioning systems. Adversity is not just a concept for Gen Alpha in Africa; it is the backdrop against which they are growing up. Their early years are marked by systemic corruption, where inefficiency and exploitation regularly complicate even the most fundamental civic processes. They grow up driving on pothole-filled roads, attending schools where strikes cause months of interrupted learning, and experiencing such frequent power outages that generators have become a common feature of life. Yet, instead of caving into despair, these children are learning to be tenacious and solve problems.
Parents from the Millennial and Gen Z generations who are tech-savvy, informed, and progressively dissatisfied with the status quo contribute to this resilience. By helping their children to take ownership of their lives, these parents—many of whom have struggled to find opportunities in a system designed to stifle them—are building a sense of independence and agency in their children. Rather than seeing technology as only a source of entertainment, they teach their children to question authority, think critically, and use technology as a tool for empowerment.
In many African households, when it comes to the future, waiting for government participation is no longer a topic of conversation. Instead, they concentrate on self-sufficiency—generating revenue, creating solutions, and avoiding system inefficiencies. Gen Alpha is largely anchored in this idea. To them, conventional paths of success, such as working for the government, getting pensions, or just dedicating oneself to a specific field of work, seem outdated and even humorous. Exposure to lifestyles from across the world made possible by social media has expanded their viewpoint. Seeing young people in other parts of the globe starting companies, creating software, and influencing public policy has influenced their belief that they can achieve the same, if not more. Growing up, these youngsters develop a strong awareness that borders are becoming less relevant in a society that is becoming increasingly digital. The things that count are skill, access, and a willingness to think differently.
The challenges that Gen Alpha faces in Africa shape many aspects of their lives. Regarding their problems, they do not believe that the government will help resolve them. The older generations, who were taught to be tenacious and flexible, do not share their degree of complacency. Still, their lack of resources has made them bold, creative, and relentless in their pursuit of a better life. While previous generations see change as a slow and regular external process, Gen Alpha sees it as something they can create themselves. These children will grow into individuals who create platforms to elevate marginalized voices, design software to solve traffic problems and start businesses that not only survive but flourish in an unsteady economy.
For a good part of Africa’s history, respect for individuals in positions of authority has been the norm. Older generations, shaped by military regimes and colonial dominance, often adopted a calm tolerance when faced with systemic flaws. Whether it was held by a government official, a traditional king, or an elderly member of society, challenging authority was uncommon. Respect was linked with obedience, and dissent was considered irresponsible, as it was deemed a direct assault on the well-ingrained cultural standards of hierarchy and order. Children were taught to accept decisions made by those in authority, regardless of their competency or good intentions, and to lower their eyes when speaking to elders. Many houses followed this daily ritual, and the docile culture permeated even government, where successive administrations thrived on a population too weary from economic hardships to confront them.
Many Africans, believing that change could only be brought about by supernatural intervention or a miracle passed down from generation to generation, accepted corruption, ineptitude, and simple apathy as their reality. For many years, their collective attitude focused more on survival than confrontation. However, the narrative veers differently as soon as Gen Alpha shows up. This generation is rejecting and passively accepting the status quo, as they have been raised in a digital era where knowledge can be obtained instantaneously and without any filtration. Now, they scream into the internet the tales of corruption and exploitation their parents told behind closed doors.
Retweets, hashtags, and viral videos help to validate these tales. Without them, silence becomes complicity, fueling system degradation rather than a virtue. Unlike their predecessors, Gen Alpha are not shy about demanding responsibility at every level of government. They find it puzzling that roads remain unpaved even though money has been allocated for development. They question political officials who try to evade public scrutiny and hold them responsible for unmet promises. Through social media channels such as Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram, they can instantly expose inefficiencies, corruption, and injustice. Africa is most likely to witness a more robust culture of openness.
The 2020 #EndSARS movement in Nigeria was a significant event that challenged police aggression and demanded responsibility from an agency meant to protect lives, not recklessly waste the lives of young people for baseless reasons. Though Millennials and Gen Z were the major players in the production, it was difficult to ignore the presence of Gen Alpha’s voices and their eyes giving testimonies. Many of them, though too young to participate physically in the protests, heard the shouts and saw the images on social media. They absorbed the lesson that silence is complicity and that change is possible when people gather. Consequently, they engaged in online campaigning, acquiring the tools and tactics of activism. They witnessed the effectiveness of collective action and the futility of silence, absorbing these lessons in readiness for the challenges their generation will encounter going forward. These experiences are shaping them into more informed and active participants, emboldened to attempt restoring sanity and integrity in a society plagued by widespread corruption across various sectors.