For decades, Africa has been known to have some of the oldest presidents around the world and perhaps rightly so, given the large number of African heads of state who have refused to retire despite their advancing age.
But as a new era of democracy continues to take root, a new crop of young leaders is slowly emerging.
Here is a list of Africa’s ten youngest presidents.
Andry Nirina Rajoelina (46)
Andry Nirina Rajoelina (born 30 May 1974) is a Malagasy politician and businessman who is currently serving as the president of Madagascar.
He started his career in the private sector, first organizing events on the Island (Live concerts), and then investing in the advertising business (Injet, billboards and print) and the media (Viva, TV and radio).
He was the Mayor of Antananarivo from December 2007 to February 2009, and President of the High Transitional Authority of Madagascar from 21 March 2009 to 25 January 2014, up until the general elections were held in 2013.
King Mswati III, Swaziland (47)
King Mswati III was crowned as king and head of the royal family in 1986 following the death of his father King Sobhuza II. His father had named him the crown prince in 1983. Mswati III became the king at the age of 18. He now has 15 wives and 30 children.
Faure Gnassingbé, Togo (49)
Faure Gnassingbé was appointed to the presidency following his father’s death in 2005. With the blessings of the Togolese army, President Gnassingbé has ruled the country for 11 years.
Prior to becoming president, he served as the Minister for Equipment, Mines, Posts and Telecommunications.
Letsie III, Lesotho (52)
Letsie III was crowned as King of Lesotho in 1990 after his father King Moshoeshoe II was forced into exile. After five years, his father returned and regained the kingdom until 1996, when he met a sudden death in a road accident.
Letsie III was just 27 years old when he took the crown.
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya (54)
Born in 1961, Uhuru Kenyatta is the son of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta. Uhuru was elected president in 2013 following the retirement of President Mwai Kibaki.
Before taking office, he served as a member of parliament, minister for local government, and Deputy Prime Minister. Uhuru has declared his intentions to run for his second and final term in 2017.
Macky Sall, Senegal (54)
Macky Sall was elected President of Senegal in 2012, defeating his former boss President Abdoulaye Wade under whose reign he served as the Prime Minister. Sall also served as the mayor of Fatick, a town in western Senegal, between 2002 and 2012.
Ali Bongo Ondimba, Gabon (56)
During his father Omar Bongo’s 42-year reign, Ali Bongo Ondimba served as Gabon’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a deputy in the National Assembly, and finally, Minister for Defense.
Following his father’s death in 2009, Ondimba won the election with just under 50 percent of the Gabonese official vote.
