Citizen participation: why we should reposition young people at the heart of civic innovation through digital technology.

by Maurice Thantan

In Africa, and particularly in the Sahel region, the democratic renewal that began in the early 1990s has been faltering for the past decade. However, this period of questioning the democratic ideal in a tense security context has coincided with the rise of digital technologies. When applied to democratic practices, these technologies offer a range of possibilities that are being seized by civil society actors, particularly the continent’s dynamic youth.

Digital technology: a lever for democratic transformation in the hands of young people

Let’s be clear: digital technology is much more than a communication tool today. It is a vehicle for mobilisation, organisation, peaceful protest and the co-construction of public policies. In Africa too, digital technology is redefining the contours of public governance and promoting citizen participation by giving populations excluded from decision-making processes a voice.

Young Africans, and those in the Sahel in particular, are already the leading users of social media. They are harnessing these tools, originally intended for entertainment, and turning them into levers for political action. Faced with injustice, they are organising themselves creatively online. They are organising campaigns, inventing innovative narrative formats, mapping public data and leading engaged local communities. All areas of public life are affected: the environment, human rights, health, etc. In several African countries, young people are organising themselves to reinvent participation despite restrictions, using digital technology. And it is working.

In Guinea, the ‘Le Peuple’ project is a citizen observatory of parliament that democratises access to parliamentary information and resources, giving citizens unprecedented insight into the work of parliament. Following the same principle, the ‘MonElu’ app, launched in 2017 in Mali, aims to bring MPs closer to their constituents. It allows citizens to contact political decision-makers via instant messaging.

In Nigeria, the famous BudgIT initiative makes public budgets accessible and understandable through infographics shared on social media. This citizen initiative, praised for its effectiveness and contribution to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, has been replicated elsewhere, such as in Senegal. These initiatives show that civic innovation is not just a matter of technology, but of political will and democratic infrastructure.

A constant threat

Despite these initiatives, it is clear that young people remain largely marginalised in decision-making processes. This creative energy, the driving force behind digital-based civic innovation, faces several barriers:

• the lack of sustainable funding for youth-led projects,
• the lack of access to public data,
• the low institutional recognition of Civic Tech.

Digital repression is one of the main obstacles to civic innovation.According to a report by Paradigm Initiative, more than 25 internet shutdowns were recorded in Africa in 2023, often during elections or social movements. This situation illustrates the desire to shrink civic space in the region and constitutes a real obstacle to strengthening citizen participation, particularly among young people. In the same vein, more and more repressive laws are being introduced in Africa, targeting informal online information providers such as bloggers, whistleblowers and even web journalists. Under the pretext of cracking down on fake news and other similar offences, these laws are being used to censor on a large scale.

Ultimately, these legislative provisions foster a climate of fear that leads actors to self-censor and inhibit civic innovation. Hence the need to thoroughly review these legal frameworks, which are clearly repressive and stifle civic innovation. While regulation of cyberspace is essential, it must not be at the expense of citizen participation initiatives, which are being given new impetus by digital technology. This is all the more important given that these initiatives are often driven by young people who are disillusioned with traditional forms of governance, inherited from a representative democracy that is itself being called into question in a rapidly changing world.

Creating a favourable environment for civic innovation

Today, too few African countries have clear legal frameworks to guarantee fundamental digital rights: freedom of expression online, protection of personal data, and equitable access to the Internet. The lack of a national digital inclusion strategy also limits the participation of rural youth, women, and people living with disabilities.

It is therefore imperative to create safe and enabling spaces for civic innovation by:

• adopting laws aligned with the African Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Information on the Internet;
• supporting incubators specialising in civic tech;
• domesticating the African Union Strategic Framework for Data;
• rigorously applying the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.

Furthermore, young people should not just be ‘consulted’: they must be recognised as co-constructors of governance. Through digital storytelling or online mobilisation, they can transform political institutions and practices. Instead of viewing these changes as threats, they should be encouraged.

Ultimately, it is important to rethink digital public policies, fund local civic innovation, guarantee digital freedoms and, above all, trust young people as drivers of democratic change. Because in Africa, the future of democracy is now also being played out online, on platforms and in lines of code.