African youth more optimistic about Trump’s second term, survey finds

More than half of Africa’s youth worry that the Trump administration will disregard international laws and norms to access the natural resources in their countries.

But two-thirds are optimistic that President Donald Trump’s second term will give them a better future.

These are just two of the findings in the 2026 Africa Youth Survey released today by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation (IFF).

Youth attitudes towards Trump shift

Now in its fourth edition, the survey conducted nearly 19 000 face-to-face interviews across 28 African countries with youths aged between 18 and 24.

This year, the interviews were conducted in Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The findings about the US represent a significant swing in sentiment since the previous survey in 2024.

China remains Africa’s preferred partner

America’s perceived power in Africa has now overtaken China, although China remains more trusted than the US.

In 2024, before the US presidential election, the prospect of Trump’s return to the White House was viewed with trepidation by African youth, with only 23% of them viewing it favourably.

Trump was disparaging about African countries in his first term and dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAid) at the start of his second term.

From aid politics to bargain politics

But African youth are shifting from aid politics to bargain politics: jobs, infrastructure, technology, securing and economic sovereignty matter more than diplomatic platitudes or western approval, said IFF chair Ivor Ichikowitz.

“Many in the West still do not understand why Trump appeals to young Africans. It is because he speaks the language the world actually runs on: power, interest, leverage and deals.

“Africa’s youth are tired of polite speeches that produce nothing. They want jobs, security and respect. Trump does not pretend foreign policy is charity and young Africans recognise the honesty of that.

“For them, his transactional style is not a problem. It is the point. They know every serious country fights for its own advantage. This generation is not asking to be rescued. It is asking to be taken seriously.

“It wants African leaders who walk into every room with their eyes open and their price understood. In that sense, they understand Trump perfectly.”

Africa’s youth are not uniformly supportive of Trump and the US, but more than half of them believe their leaders must find a way to work with the White House and more than a quarter believe the dismantling of USAid could force their leaders to confront domestic challenges directly.

China, on the other hand, is viewed more positively and has increased its own standing in the minds of the youth by 13 percentage points since the previous survey, with 95% of African youth regarding Beijing’s influence as positive and China as their country’s most preferred ally.

Foreign influence continues to evolve

Russia’s perceived influence has also grown since the last survey by 10 percentage points to 54%.

But it is seen as the least positive of all foreign countries, followed by the US.

The European Union is viewed positively, but French influence dropped from the 2024 survey to 47%, while the UK has grown to 63% as India and Brazil begin to be influential in Africa.

Young Africans are more optimistic about their future, with the youth of Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia the most positive about the direction their leaders are taking their countries.

The IFF said: “Africa’s future will be defined by its youth. By 2050, one in four people globally will be African – and the majority will be under 25. Understanding their ambitions, concerns and expectations is essential to engage with the continent.”