Africa is home to several long-serving leaders who have maintained power through elections, military force, and royal succession. Collectively, these ten leaders have ruled their countries for an astonishing total of 333 years.
Among them is Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, who is currently 91 years old and has been in power since 1982. Speculation regarding Biya’s health and whereabouts has intensified following unconfirmed reports of his death this week. His last public appearance was at the China-Africa summit in Beijing in early September, and his absence from both the recent UN General Assembly in New York and a summit of French-speaking countries (La Francophonie) in France has fueled these rumors. However, Cameroon’s ambassador to France insisted that Biya is “in good health,” and government spokesman René Sadi formally denied the rumors, assuring that Biya would return home “in the next few days.”
Here are the ten longest-serving African heads of state:
- Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (Equatorial Guinea)
- 41 years in power
- Mbasogo is the world’s longest-serving non-royal leader, having assumed power on October 12, 1982.
- Paul Biya (Cameroon)
- 41 years in power
- Biya is Africa’s second-longest-serving president and the world’s oldest head of state. He will mark 42 years in power on November 6, 2024.
- Denis Sassou Nguesso (Congo)
- 40 years in power (cumulatively)
- Nguesso has ruled Congo since 1997 and previously from 1979 to 1992.
- Yoweri Museveni (Uganda)
- 38 years in power
- Museveni has been Uganda’s president since January 1986 and has been re-elected multiple times.
- King Mswati III (Eswatini)
- 38 years in power
- Crowned king in 1986 at the age of 18, Mswati is Africa’s fifth longest-serving head of state.
- Idriss Déby (Chad)
- 30 years in power
- Déby ruled Chad until his death in 2021 while commanding troops against rebel forces.
This list illustrates the longevity of leadership in various African nations, highlighting the political dynamics and challenges faced by these countries.