Here Are The 7 Youngest African Presidents As Of 2024!! Number 1 Isn’t What You Thought
In recent years, Africa has seen a significant transformation in its political landscape: the rise of youthful leaders. This was made much more so with the triumph of Senegal’s new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. While the emergence of young leaders on the continent seems sluggish, there is no denying the fact that the change seems imminent.
Kampala Insider presents the list of youngest presidents in Africa in 2024 under the age of 50.Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s new president is the latest addition to this list. African presidents have always been seen as elder statesmen who have held their positions of authority for many years.Nonetheless, a new generation of young leaders is upending this presumption by bringing new ideas, vigor, and ambitions to the government of the continent.
This tendency ushers in a new age in African politics and represents a considerable divergence from the past. Additionally, the rise of coups in Africa, particularly in West Africa has contributed to this trend of producing young African presidents. With new insights from younger leaders, governments throughout the continent are more inclined to challenge the existing quo and advocate for progressive policies and changes.The rise of young leaders in Africa marks a transformative moment in the continent’s history.
Below are the youngest presidents in Africa under 50.
1. Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso (Age 36)
Since the September 30, 2022 coup that deposed interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, Burkina Faso has been headed by military commander Ibrahim Traoré. At age 36, Traoré is currently the second youngest serving state leader in the world not only Africa, and the youngest serving president.
2. Mahamat Deby, Chad (Age 39)
This four star general currently serves as Chad’s transitional president. He assumed his current position back in 2021, after the death of his father, former President Idriss Déby. He gained power as the president of the Transitional Military Council on 20 April 2021 when his father, the late Chadian President Idriss Déby, died in action while commanding troops in the Northern Chad offensive.
He previously served as the second in-command of the military for the Chadian Intervention in Northern Mali (FATIM).
3. Colonel Assimi Goïta, Mali (Age 41)
He is the current head of state in Mali. He has served as the interim President of the country since May 28, 2021 when he led the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, to take power from former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in the 2020 Malian coup d’état.
4. Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea (Age 44)
Mamady Doumbouya is a Guinean military commander, who has served as the country’s interim president since October 1, 2021.Doumbouya led a coup d’état on 5 September 2021 that overthrew the previous president, Alpha Condé. He is a member of the Special Forces Group of the Guinean military and a former French legionnaire.
On the day of the coup, Doumbouya issued a broadcast on state television declaring that his faction had dissolved the government and constitution. On 1 October 2021, Doumbouya was sworn in as interim president.
5. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal (Age 44)
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the incoming President of Senegal. He is the newly elected president of Senegal. The 44-year-old was announced president on March 25th, after his major political rival, Amadou Ba, admitted defeat.
In February 2021, Faye became the general secretary of PASTEF after Sonko was arrested, being accused of repeated rape by a massage parlor employee. As part of its strategy to win power, Faye attempted to unite the opposition for the 2022 elections, winning 56 seats under the alliance Liberate the People.
6. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia (Age: 47)
The sixth-youngest president of Africa is Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He was born in Bashasha on August 15, 1976, and took office as prime minister of Ethiopia on April 2, 2018. Abiy served as the third chairman of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) that governed Ethiopia for 28 years and the first person of Oromo descent to hold that position.
Abiy is a member of the Ethiopian parliament, and was a member of the Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), one of the then four coalition parties of the EPRDF, until its rule ceased in 2019 and he formed his own party, the Prosperity Party.
7. Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar (Age: 49)
The president of Madagascar since 2019 is the Malagasy politician and businessman Andry Nirina Rajoelina.He previously served as president from 2019 to 2023, and was president of a provisional government from 2009 to 2014 following a political crisis and military-backed coup, having held the office of Mayor of Antananarivo for one year prior.
Before entering the political arena, Rajoelina was involved in the private sector, including a printing and advertising company called Injet in 1999 and the Viva radio and television networks in 2007.