It’s a bumper year for elections on the continent: by the end of 2024, 20 countries ought to have gone to the polls to vote in national elections. A handful of others are also scheduled to conduct local-level elections. As is the case elsewhere in the world, digital technologies have come to play a key role in African elections and political life more broadly – sometimes, but not always, in positive ways.
Maxwell Maseko researches digital governance and media. He recently published a book chapter examining the potential threats and benefits to democracy that digital technologies pose in African countries. He explains what he found.
