Top 10 Longest Serving Presidents In Africa

Who are the longest serving presidents in Africa has been a frequent question that has not been answered. This article has come to answer it with a complete list of the longest-serving presidents in Africa with their years in office

Africa as a continent has some presidents who have served for more than a decade. Some of these presidents died in their office while some retired when their power can no longer rule their country.

It will interest you to know that some have remarkable things they did that brought them to power. While some of these presidents are still in power, some are dead, and some have either retired or been voted out of office.

The list of the longest-serving presidents in Africa has a full list of presidents in Africa who have served for more than 20 years.

The table below has a list of the longest-serving presidents in Africa:

1. Teodoro Obiang Nguema

Teodoro Obiang Nguema is a political, former military officer, and the 2nd president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He has served Guinea for 43 years making him the longest serving president in Africa.

Obiang became president after he overthrew his uncle on 3 August 1979 in a bloody coup d’état. Before then, he held numerous positions under the presidency of his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema.

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2. Paul Biya

The second on the list of the longest-serving president in Africa is Paul Biya who has served as the president of Cameroon since 1982.

Before he became the president in 1982, he served as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime Minister of Cameroon from 1975 to 1982.

However, he was born on 13 February 1933 and is currently 89. Apart from being the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, he is also the oldest head of state in Africa, and the longest-ruling non-royal leader in the world.

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3. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos

The Angolan ex-president Jose Eduardo Dos Santos served as the president of Angola from 1979 to 2017 and is among the longest-serving presidents in Africa.

However, apart from being the president, Dos Santos was also the commander-in-chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola. The party that has ruled Angola since it won independence in 1975.

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4. Yoweri Museveni

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa is a Ugandan politician, retired senior military officer, and the current president of Uganda.

However, he is the 9th and current President of Uganda since 29 January 1986.

Before he captured power in 1986, he spearheaded rebellions with aid of then-current military general Tito Okello that toppled Ugandan presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin.

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5. Idriss Debby

Before the death of Idriss Deby in 2021, he has been the president of the Chad Republic from 1990 to 2021.

Idriss Deby is a Chadian politician, military officer, and member of the Bidayat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group.

After playing important role in the Toyota War which led to Chad’s victory during the Libyan-Chadian conflict. He was forced into exile in Libya after being suspected by Habré of plotting a coup. In 2009, he took power by leading a coup d’état against Habré in December 1990.

His Patriotic Salvation Movement was the dominant party throughout his presidency. Déby won elections in 1996 and 2001, and after term limits were eliminated he won again in 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021.

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6. Robert Mugabe

Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as the president for 30 years. Serving as the president for 30 years made him among the longest-serving presidents in Africa.

Moreover, he was the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then President from 1987 to 2017.

However, Robert Mugabe who was born on 21 February 1924 died in 2019 after two years after resigning as the president of  Zimbabwe

7. Omar Al-Bashir

Omar Al-Bahir is among the longest-serving presidents in Africa.

Before Omar Al-Bahir was deposed in a coup d’état in 2019, he served as the president of Sudan for 30 years.

Omar al-Bashir is a Sudanese former military officer and politician. He served as the seventh head of state of Sudan under various titles from 1989 until 2019.

Al-Bashir was born on 1 January 1944 and is currently 78 years is among the longest serving presidents in Africa.

8. Isaias Afwerki

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki arrives at the Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Feisal Omar – RC1BF107DE60

The president of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki is among the longest-serving presidents in Africa. He has been the president of Eritrea since its independence in 1993.

He is known for leading the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front to victory in May 1991, ending the 30-year-old war for independence from Ethiopia.

9. Denis Sassou

On the list of the longest-serving presidents in Africa is a Congolese politician and former military leader Denis Sassou Nguesso. He became president of the Republic of the Congo in 1997. Before then, he served a previous term as president from 1979 to 1992.

The president of Congo was 23 November 1943 in Edou, Republic of the Congo, and is currently 78.

10. Yahya Jammeh

Rounding off the list of longest-serving presidents in Africa is 57-year-old Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh.

He is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017.

Firstly, he ruled as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council from 1994 to 1996 and then as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017.

Below is the Graphical Representation of the Top 10 Longest Serving Presidents In Africa:

In summary, below is the list of the top 10 longest-serving presidents in Africa:

1. Teodoro Obiang Nguema
2. Paul Biya
3. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos
4. Yoweri Museveni
5. Idriss Debby
6. Robert Mugabe
7. Omar Al-Bashir
8. Isaias Afwerki
9. Denis Sassou
10. Yahya Jammeh

Who is the Longest Serving President In Africa?

The current president of Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema who has served for 43 years is the longest-serving president in Africa.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema is a political, former military officer, and the 2nd president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He has served Guinea for 43 years making him the longest serving president in Africa.