Top 10 Youngest Presidents in Africa (Updated: 2025)

In recent years there has been a subtle surge of politicians in their 30s and 40s winning leadership roles in Africa, one of them is Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye who at 44 is one of the youngest presidents in Africa.

Top 10 Youngest Presidents in Africa (Updated: 2025)

1. Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso (Age: 37)

Ibrahim Traoré is a Burkinabé military officer who has been the leader of Burkina Faso since the 30 September 2022 coup d’état which ousted interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. At age 37, Traoré is Africa’s youngest leader and the world’s youngest currently-serving world leader.

2. Mahamat Déby, Chad (Age: 41)

Mahamat Idriss Déby, a Chadian four-star general, assumed office as the transitional president of Chad on April 20, 2021, following the death of his father, President Idriss Déby, during the Northern Chad offensive. He was nominated as the Patriotic Salvation Movement’s candidate for the 2024 Chadian presidential election on January 13, 2024, by party secretary Mahamat Zene Bada. Following the killing of his main opponent, Yaya Dillo Djérou, by government forces on February 28, three other candidates withdrew the following week in protest and fear of similar consequences.

3. Assimi Goïta, Mali (Age: 41)

Colonel Assimi Goïta is a Malian military officer who has been interim President of Mali since 28 May 2021 when he seized power from Bah Ndaw in the coup d’état. At age 41, Assimi is the third youngest president in Africa.

4. Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea (Age: 45)

Mamady Doumbouya is a Guinean military officer serving as the interim president of Guinea. Doumbouya led a coup d’état on 5 September 2021 that overthrew the previous president, Alpha Condé. On 1 October 2021, Doumbouya was sworn in as interim president.

5. Bassirou Diomaye, Senegal (Age: 45)

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a former tax inspector, politician, and former general secretary of the dissolved PASTEF party, stood as a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, replacing the disqualified candidate Ousmane Sonko. He defeated the incumbent Macky Sall, who had been President of Senegal since April 2012. At age 45, Faye is the 5th youngest president in Africa.

6. Daniel Chapo, Mozambique (Age: 48)

Daniel Chapo became the sixth president of Mozambique on January 15, 2025, following an election fraught with allegations of fraud. The election results were contested by both the opposition and the European Union. In the aftermath, deadly protests erupted, resulting in at least 250 fatalities, primarily demonstrators, who were killed by police and military forces.

7. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia (Age: 49)

Abiy Ahmed is the seventh youngest head of state in Africa. He was born on 15 August 1976 in Beshasha, and became Ethiopia’s prime minister on 2 April 2018. He is married to Zinash Tayachew & has 4 children.

Abiy joined the armed struggle aged 15 & later became a military intelligence officer in the Ethiopian National Defense Force. He has a degree in Computer Engineering, MBA, MA in Leadership, Diploma in Cryptology & a PhD in Peace & Security.

8. Brice Oligui Nguema, Gabon (Age: 50)

Brice Oligui Nguema is the current transitional president of Gabon. A member of the Bongo family, he played a key role in the coup d’état that ousted his cousin, Ali Bongo, due to issues with election transparency. After the coup, he established the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions to manage the country’s governance during the transition. He is the 8th youngest presidents in Africa.

9. Michael Randrianirina, Madagascar (Age: 51)

At 51, Michael Randrianirina is one of Africa’s youngest presidents, ranking sixth on the continent. Taking office during the 2025 Malagasy coup d’état, his rise has captured attention, showing that even in a region where leaders are often older, a new generation can still take the helm.

10. Duma Boko, Botswana (Age: 55)

Duma Boko, who is Africa’s 10th youngest president, was sworn in as President of Botswana on 1 November 2024. His election represents a shift towards youthful leadership on the continent, reflecting the aspirations of a younger generation eager for progress and reform.

11. Évariste Ndayishimiye, Burundi (Age: 57)

Évariste Ndayishimiye is the 11th youngest president in Africa. Ndayishimiye began his seven-year term on 18 June 2020 and announced his first cabinet on 28 June 2020. He shrunk the cabinet ministers from 21 to 15 and mainly nominated ex-regime hardliners to take up key positions. Ndayishimiye’s tenure has been noted to have been less isolationist than his predecessor.

12. Mswati III, Swaziland (Age: 57)

Mswati III is the King of Swaziland, a crown he inherited from his father Sobhuza II. He is the head of the Swazi Royal Family. He was introduced as the crown prince in 1983 and was crowned on April 25 1986, at the age of 18.

Mswati III is currently the 12th youngest head of state in Africa.

13. William Ruto, Kenya (Age: 58)

William Samoei Arap Ruto is the 6th and current president of Kenya and the 13th youngest president in Africa. He won Kenya’s 2022 election with 50.49% of the vote against Odinga’s 48.85%. Prior to becoming president, he served as the 11th deputy president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.

14. Adama Barrow, Gambia (Age: 60)

Adama Barrow is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who is the third and current President of the Gambia and the 14th youngest president in Africa. He was sworn into office in 2017 after he defeated Yahya Jammeh in a free and fair election.

We trust that this compilation of the youngest presidents in Africa has been informative. Be sure to checkout our list of Updated: Top 10 Oldest African Presidents

Extra

Top 5 oldest presidents in Africa, 2025

Here are the top 10 oldest African presidents.

1. Paul Biya

Country: Cameroon
Age: 92 Years

Paul Biya has been the President of Cameroon since November 1982. At the age of 91 and still in power, Paul Biya is the oldest president in Africa. He is also the second-longest ruling president in Africa (after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea), and the longest-ruling non-royal leader in the world.

2. Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové

Country: Togo
Age: 86 years

Jean-Lucien Kwassi Lanyo Savi de Tové, born in 1939 in Lomé, became President of Togo on May 3, 2025, after the country’s constitutional reform created a new Fifth Republic. At nearly 86 years old, he made history as the oldest person ever to assume the presidency in Togo. His age also places him among the oldest serving leaders in Africa, second only to Paul Biya of Cameroon, who is 92.

3. Alassane Ouattara

Country: Ivory Coast
Age: 83 years

Alassane Dramane Ouattara has been the President of Côte d’Ivoire since 2010. At 82, Alassane Ouattara is the third oldest president in Africa and the second oldest president in west Africa.

4. Teodoro Nguema Mbasogo

Country: Equitorial Guinea
Age: 83

Teodoro Nguema has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup.

He is the fourth oldest president in Africa, the longest serving president in Africa and the second longest-serving non-royal national leader in the world (after Paul Biya of Cameroon).

5. Emmerson Mnangagwa

Country: Zimbabwe
Age: 83 Years

Emmerson Mnangagwa is serving as the third and current President of Zimbabwe since November 2017.

A longtime ally of his predecessor Robert Mugabe and a senior member of the ruling ZANU–PF party, Mnangagwa served as First Vice President of Zimbabwe from 2014 until his dismissal in early-November 2017, which prompted a coup d’état that ousted Mugabe On 21 November 2017, (a removal recognised in a statement by the African Union, not as a “coup”, but as a legitimate expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people).

Emmerson Mnangagwa is the fifth oldest president in Africa and the second oldest president in Southern Africa.

Revised in October 2025.