List of 10 youngest Presidents in Africa

News360 Nigeria curates in this article, 10 youngest Presidents in Africa for your reading pleasure.

Elder statesmen have frequently assumed positions of power in African countries, as wisdom is thought to reside with the elderly.

Africans who are young and energetic have risen to the occasion and successfully managed various political roles in the face of recent global changes and advancements in civilization.

Regardless of the situation, a youthful president makes sure that the opinions and goals of the younger generation are genuine and taken into account.

Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in power in Africa from the older to the younger generations.

A few young Africans who have become presidents and prominent figures in their home countries are examined in this article.

1. Ibrahim Traore (36 yrs)

The youngest African president and second-youngest leader in the world, Ibrahim Traoré, is at the top of the list.

Following the September 30, 2022 coup d’état that ousted Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president, he is a Burkinabè military officer serving as the country’s acting leader.

He graduated with a degree in Geology from the University of Ouagadougou. He was born on March 14, 1988, in Kéra, Bondokuy, Mouhoun Province.

2. Mahamat Deby (39 yrs)

Born on April 4, 1984, Mahamat Idriss “Kaka” Deby is a four-star general and currently serving as the interim president of Chad.

Prior to this, he was the military’s second-in-command during the Chadian Intervention in Northern Mali (FATIM).

On April 20, 2021, he took over as president of the Transitional Military Council following the death of his father, the late President Idriss Déby of Chad, while he was leading troops in the Northern Chad offensive.

On January13 ,2024, party secretary Mahamat Zene Bada nominated him as the Patriotic Salvation Movement’s candidate for the 2024 Chadian presidential election.

3. Colonel Assimi Goïta (41 yrs)

Currently serving as Mali’s acting president since May 2021, Colonel Assimi Goïta is the continent’s third youngest president.

In the 2020 Malian coup d’état, he led the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, a military force that deposed former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, he was born in 1983.

Goïta was subsequently proclaimed as the acting president of Mali after overthrowing Bah Ndaw in the coup d’état in 2021.

4.Mamadou Doumbouya (44 yrs)

The fourth-youngest African president in office is Mamady Doumbouya.

Since October 1, 2021, he has been the acting president of Guinea, a military officer from Guinea.

He was born on March 4th, 1980, and is a former French legionnaire who is currently serving in Guinea’s Special Forces Group.

5. Bassirou Diomaye Faye (44 yrs)

Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is a politician and former tax inspector.

He defeated disqualified candidate Ousmane Sonko in the 2024 Senegalese presidential election. He is the general secretary of the outlawed party PASTEF.

He is currently the fifth youngest African President, having been born on March 25, 1980.

6. Abiy Ahmed( 47 yrs)

Abiy Ahmed Ali is is the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018.

As the third chairman of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea in 2019.”

He is credited with being the sixth youngest African President, having been born on August 15, 1976.

7. Andry Rajeolina (49 yrs)

Since 2023, French-Maori politician and businessman Andry Nirina Rajoelina has presided over Madagascar as its president.

Rajoelina worked in the private sector prior to entering politics. He founded the Viva radio and television networks in 2007 and Injet, a printing and advertising company, in 1999.

Prior to that, he presided over a provisional government from 2009 to 2014 and was president from 2019 to 2023.

8. Evariste Ndayishimiye (55 yrs)

As of June 18, 2020, Évariste Ndayishimiye is the President of Burundi.

He reduced the number of cabinet ministers from 21 to 15, mostly by appointing hardline former regime members to important posts.

Insurgent National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie – Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie, CNDD–FDD) is the group he joined.

9. Mswati III (55 yrs)

The throne of Swaziland is held by Mswati III, who inherited it from his father Sobhuza III.

He was first presented as the crown prince of in 1983, and on April 25, 1986, at the age of 18, he was crowned as the head of the Swazi Royal Family.

Born on April 19, 1968, Mswati III is well-known for engaging in polygamy, having taken on 15 wives as of this writing.

In Swaziland, he is well-liked and respected, but his extravagant lifestyle and policies have sparked protests both domestically and abroad.

10. William Ruto (57 yrs)

Born on December 21, 1966, William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto is a politician from Kenya who has served as the country’s president five times, most recently on September 13, 2022.

He held the office of Kenya’s first elected deputy president from 2013 until 2022.

He previously held the positions of Minister of Higher Education, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister of Home Affairs in three different cabinet portfolios.