By Muki Osaka, Director of Enterprise Management, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation

When Gen Z first entered the workforce, many employers scrambled to decode their values, work rhythms and digital-first expectations. Now, just as managers are finding their footing, a new reality is emerging: by 2030—only five years away—Gen Alpha, the first cohort born fully into artificial intelligence, streaming culture and frictionless connectivity, will step into the labour market.

And if Gen Alpha feels like a leap into the unknown, Gen Beta may bring an even greater transformation.

For Africa’s public service, this timeline is not just another demographic trend. It is a direct challenge to the sustainability of the continent’s state institutions. Millennials and Gen Zs now represent a significant portion of Africa’s workforce, yet a critical question continues to echo across ministries and government offices:

Is Africa’s public service truly prepared for a generational handover?

A Civil Service That Risks Falling Out of Sync

Most young Africans today may not be digital natives in the strictest sense, but they were raised in environments shaped by technology—classrooms with multimedia tools, smartphones as core communication devices and workplaces increasingly dominated by digital platforms.

And while the private sector has evolved to meet these expectations, the public service often lags behind.

The chief concern expressed by young professionals is not merely about technology—it is about relevance. Is Africa’s public sector a place where a young person can learn, innovate and build a future? Or does it feel like a structure struggling to keep up with their pace?

This is not a philosophical inquiry; it is a practical test of Africa’s governance resilience. Succession planning is no longer about replacing retirees. It is about designing public institutions capable of surviving technological disruption and generational shifts.

A Continent of Tech Innovation—But Not Yet in Government

Africa’s technology landscape is undeniably impressive. Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Tunisia and Rwanda lead the continent’s tech advancement, according to The African Exponent and global indices such as WIPO’s Global Innovation Index and the ITU’s ICT Development Index.

But a persistent gap remains: most of these breakthroughs come from the private sector.

Rwanda’s e-government systems are widely celebrated. Morocco’s Digital Morocco 2030 strategy seeks to build a North African digital hub. Nigeria’s National e-Government Master Plan outlines an ambitious future for public sector digitalisation.

These frameworks look promising on paper.
But a more crucial question lingers: Are these policies being translated into everyday civil service operations?
Are they building a pipeline of future-ready public servants, or simply producing documents destined for dusty shelves?

A Shrinking Youth Presence in Public Service

The data paints a worrying picture.

Nigeria’s 2023 Labour Force Survey shows that while the private sector employs 74.4% of the workforce, the public sector employs just 25.6%. Among young people aged 15–24, only 2% work in the public sector.

Across 26 African countries, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation notes that public sector employment accounts for only 11.6% of total jobs—and in many countries, less than 5%.

The World Bank’s Bureaucracy Lab suggests that public sector employment in Sub-Saharan Africa sits at around 10% of total employment.

There is a clear pattern: Africa’s young people are staying away from government jobs.

Why Young Africans Aren’t Choosing Public Service

Multiple national digital roadmaps exist across the continent, but the civil service often remains analogue in its daily operations—characterised by manual files, in-person signatures and bureaucratic slowdowns.

To a digitally inclined generation, this can feel suffocating.

Other deterrents include:

Motivation gaps: Stability exists, but wages often fall short of expectations.
Recruitment challenges: Processes are frequently influenced by politics, not merit.
Limited mobility: Movement between sectors is rare and often politically driven.

With these barriers, convincing a talented Gen Z or Gen Alpha professional that public service offers a long-term, fulfilling career becomes an uphill task.

A Rethink for the Future

African governments regularly champion sustainability, reform and long-term development. Yet few have implemented deliberate, structured succession plans within their civil services—plans that would modernise workplace culture, build leadership pipelines and integrate technology at every level.

At the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, we work with Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service to provide digital tools, training and infrastructure aimed at building a workforce capable of carrying public institutions into the future. But for the continent, the challenge is broader and more urgent.

Africa’s next generation of workers will not wait for government systems to catch up.
They will move—towards environments where their skills matter, where innovation is encouraged and where systems function efficiently.

If Africa’s public institutions do not evolve quickly enough, they risk becoming obsolete, losing talent to the private sector and to more advanced public service systems around the world.

The Real Question

The original question “Is Africa ready for succession?”*—may no longer be the right one.

The more urgent question is:
Can Africa afford not to be ready?

A kobo for your thoughts.

Sources: The African Exponent; Nigerian Labour Force Survey; In On Africa; Mo Ibrahim Foundation; World Bank Bureaucracy Lab.