Dear Africa in 2030,

I write to you from the tail end of 2025, a year marked by restlessness – from Gen Z protests to fraught elections and a coup in Guinea-Bissau only days before the time of writing – as well as unhappy contradictions such as youthful dynamism standing starkly against ageing political leaders, and welcome inventiveness, exemplified by, among others, the rise of AI-powered local solutions.

I imagine you sitting there in 2030, reviewing this year with the amused detachment of someone paging through an old photo album, asking: Did we really wear clothes like that? But your questions would be heavier – such as why, in Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan moved decisively to bar her most credible electroral rivals and proceeded to appoint several family members and close associates to her Cabinet after securing re-election. You would wonder too about the tragic consequences when young citizens – yes, Gen Z – took to the streets of Dar es Salaam and other Tanzanian cities to protest Hassan’s brazen assault on democracy, only to be met with the full might of the army, resulting in the loss of more than 1 000 lives in their prime.

But Tanzania’s election was not the only fraught one in Africa in 2025. On the opposite end of the continent, in Cameroon, the main Presidential challenger disputed the re-election of the 92-year-old incumbent for yet another seven-year term, before fleeing into exile. His supporters launched protests in multiple cities, provoking a violent response from security forces. Reports vary, but human rights organisations estimate dozens were killed in the clashes.

A similar pattern played out in Cote d’Ivoire, where another old-timer, 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara, was returned to office in an election described by many as more of a sham than a contest.

The same trick was attempted in Guinea-Bissau, but the situation quickly unravelled. In the immediate aftermath of the election – before results were announced – both the incumbent and the main challenger claimed victory, a standoff that erupted into a coup and the subsequent suspension of the electoral process.

Across the continent, Gen Z’s restless energy sparked movements that challenged entrenched systems. In Morocco, youth mobilisation under Gen Z 212 – reminiscent of the 2024 Kenyan unrest that forced a reversal of punitive tax proposals – swept cities from Rabat to Casablanca and Marrakech, demanding better public services. The movement prompted the king to direct the government to prioritise public service delivery. The 2026 budget reflects this shift, increasing the allocation for health and education by 23%.

Off the south-east coast, in Madagascar, Gen Z protests over water and electricity shortages escalated into a political crisis that forced the President to dissolve his government. But that wasn’t enough; he eventually fled the country and is now a fugitive in France.

These events highlight not only the boldness of Africa’s youngest generation but also their growing influence in shaping the continent’s political future.

Yet, 2025 was also a year of inventiveness. In Rwanda, Kigali emerged as a hub for AI solutions, with the Rwanda AI Scaling Hub securing $7.5-million to deploy 50 AI apps across health, agriculture and public services. In Kenya, Signvrse developed Perp 360, which translates speech and text into sign language in real time. Nigeria’s Koolboks rolled out solar-powered refrigerators to preserve food and medicine in off-grid villages, while South Africa’s Cerebrium raised seed funding to build homegrown AI infrastructure. I could go on.

Contradictions, however, continued to run deep. Think about this: Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who is 92 years old, won again in a country where most people are under 35; Cote d’Ivoire Ouattara won a fourth term in a nation where the median age is about 18 years; and Malawi’s Peter Mutharika, who will be 86 on his next birthday, reclaimed the Presidency, even as the country’s youth comprise the majority.

Yet, as you look back from 2030, you may see 2025 not merely as a year of unrest, coups, contested elections and leaders who cling to power, but as a moment when the heartbeat of the continent – youthfulness, inventiveness and insistence – began to press more insistently against the inertia of the past. It was a year of contradictions, yes, but also a year that proved that Africa’s story is increasingly no longer written by a single generation.

Kind regards,

Me.