The top priority issues for countries in Africa – Security a major concern across the Sahel

We recently asked our online research panel in Africa about what they feel are the top 3 priority issues for their countries. Strikingly, we find results show security is a major concern in the Sahel region.

The three E’s – Employment, Economy and Education

Employment, Economy and Education are the top three priority issues for countries in Africa. This is indeed what SagaPoll panellists told us in August 2022.

Interestingly, the level of concern regarding the economy and education was relatively stable between age groups. Employment, on the other hand, is a key issue for each of the 3 age groups, but less of a priority for older respondents.

Now, when looking at older adults, healthcare is of most concern to them. In fact it ranked first with over 55% of SagaPoll respondents over the age of 46 years old.

In contrast, only 39% of adults aged 18 to 25 years old placed healthcare in the top 3. Understandably, the younger generation tend to suffer from less health problems related to their age. Therefore, even if healthcare ranked as the 4th top issue in this age group, other issues came first.

So what else is important to Africans?

Top 3 concerns amongst adults aged 18 to 25 years old

1. Employment
2. Economy
3. Education

Adults aged 26 to 45 years old most concerned about employment

1. Employment
2. Economy
3. Healthcare

Healthcare, top concern for adults aged over 46 years old

1. Healthcare
2. Economy
3. Employment

Read more: Online research panel shows mixed levels of optimism in Africa

Providing transportation solutions in Africa is key

So apart from these concerns, the younger generation is more likely to prioritize issues such as politics, transportation as well as art and culture than older people.

In fact, soaring fuel costs have been met with anger and frustration in recent months. In addition, lower vehicle ownership amongst the youth may be a factor in why transportation is seen as more of a priority for the younger crowd.

For example, people over 55 years old in Tanzania are approximately 3 times more likely to own a car than those aged 18 to 25 years old*. As such, providing reliable and affordable transportation networks in Africa will be key to address such youth’s concerns in the coming years.

Discover SagaCube: Assessing household consumption and equipment ownership across Africa

Top priority issues by countries

Out of all countries surveyed, respondents in Rwanda and Egypt are most likely to choose art and culture as a priority issue. In Rwanda, it comes even ahead of Housing (20%), and far ahead of Politics (11%).

Security, a major concern in the Sahel

• Nigeria (80% of respondents rank security in their top 3 priorities)
• Burkina Faso (79%)
• Mali (60%)

People are indeed most concerned about security issues in countries such as Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali. It is clear that the ongoing conflicts in these places have not gone unnoticed.

Conversely, Zambians are the least concerned about security. In fact, less than 8% of respondents believe it to be a priority issue.

Access our online research panel today

The above results come from SagaPoll, the African online survey app. With such a tool we can in effect research market trends in 34 countries. As a result we are able to gather thousands of respondents in a highly engaged online panel, providing detailed answers to your questions. Results are then available in just a few days.

Learn more from our consumer panel in South Africa: Best adverts in South Africa

In conclusion, if you would like to know more about using online panels for your market research needs in Africa, please send an email to contact@sagaciresearch.com or click below.

Methodology

This SagaPoll survey was asked to over 10,000 respondents in 34 countries. The survey leveraged our online panels in countries such as Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire. Other countries include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Morocco, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria. Countries like Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe are also part of our panel.

Survey Questions: Which are the 3 priority issues in your country? Transportation / Security / Politics / Housing / Healthcare / Employment / Education / Economy / Art and Culture / Other

Population: 12,841 respondents in Africa. Minimum base size of 30 per county required to show data.

Period: August 2022

*Data from SagaCube, the tool to track consumption habits in Africa