Presidential elections held recently in Djibouti and Benin (both French-speaking nations in Africa) have drawn fresh attention to a continent-wide trend: rapidly rising nomination fees that critics say are transforming political candidacy from a civic right into a financial transaction. Benin's fee stands at roughly £328,000 and Djibouti's at around £20,000, while Zimbabwe saw its fee jump by 1,900% ahead of its 2023 elections — barriers that opposition figures and election experts say effectively exclude women, young people, and independent candidates from competition. Analysts warn that rather than filtering for serious contenders, such fees consolidate power among the already wealthy, shrink voter choice, and risk fuelling corruption by making financial muscle — not public mandate — the defining test of political participation.