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Top 10 Longest-serving Presidents In Africa[PHOTOS]

Published

1 year ago

August 8, 2024

Africa has seen several presidents who have remained in power for extended periods.

These long-serving presidents often maintain their positions through a mix of constitutional amendments, electoral manipulation, and suppression of political opposition.

Below are the top 10 longest-serving presidents and monarchs in Africa as of 2024.

1. Teodoro Obiang (45 years)

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the President of Equatorial Guinea, holds the record as the longest-serving president in Africa and globally. He has been in power since August 1979, after a military coup that deposed his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema. Obiang’s tenure has been marked by accusations of human rights abuses and corruption.

2. Paul Biya (42 years)

Paul Biya has been the President of Cameroon since November 6, 1982. As the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, Biya’s administration is heavily supported by France, which has provided military aid and training. His tenure has faced criticism over electoral fraud and governance issues.

3. Denis Sassou Nguesso (40 years)

Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo has served as president for a total of 39 years, although not consecutively. His first term was from 1979 to 1992, and he returned to power in 1997 following a civil war. Nguesso’s long rule is characterized by allegations of corruption and authoritarianism.

4. Yoweri Museveni (38 years)

Yoweri Museveni has been the President of Uganda since January 1986, making him the fourth-longest-serving president in Africa. Museveni rose to power after a successful military campaign against previous regimes. His leadership has been criticized for alleged election rigging and suppression of dissent.

5. King Mswati III (38 years)

King Mswati III of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) ascended to the throne on April 25, 1986, at the age of 18. He is one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs, co-ruling with his mother, Queen Mother Ntfombi Tfwala. His reign has been marked by ongoing debates over democratic reforms and human rights.

6. Isaias Afwerki (31 years)

Isaias Afwerki has been the President of Eritrea since its independence from Ethiopia in April 1993. His rule is noted for its long duration and the country’s lack of national elections, contributing to ongoing criticisms regarding human rights and governance.

7. Letsie III (28 years)

King Letsie III of Lesotho became monarch in October 1997, following the death of his father, Moshoeshoe II. As a constitutional monarch, his role is largely ceremonial, but he remains one of the longest-serving rulers in Africa.

8. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (25 years)

Ismaïl Omar Guelleh has been President of Djibouti since 1999. He succeeded his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had ruled since the country’s independence. Guelleh has faced allegations of extending his presidency through questionable means and electoral practices.

9. Mohammed VI (25 years)

King Mohammed VI of Morocco began his reign on July 23, 1999, following the death of his father, King Hassan II. As one of the most influential Muslim leaders globally, Mohammed VI’s reign has focused on modernization efforts and economic reforms, though it has also faced criticisms.

10. Paul Kagame (24 years)

Paul Kagame has been the President of Rwanda since April 2000. Kagame, who had been the de facto leader since 1994, took office officially following the resignation of then-President Bizimungu. His administration is credited with economic growth and development, though it faces scrutiny over political freedoms and human rights.

Related Topics:Africa President presidents

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Nnamdi Kanu’s Case Proof Of Religious Persecution In Nigeria – US lawmaker, John James

Published

19 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

Former chairman of the Africa Subcommittee and now a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative, John James, has claimed that the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is proof of religious persecution in Nigeria.

James stated this when the United States House Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday, held a public hearing to review President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

The hearing in Washington, DC included senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.

James claimed that in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, Nigeria’s Court of Appeal had struck down the charges against him and ordered his release in 2022.

He said: “Religious persecution is tied to political repression and weakening institutions in Nigeria. The detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a clear example.

“In 2022, Nigeria’s Court of Appeals struck down the charges against him and ordered his release.

“The UN Working Group for Arbitrary Detention has also called for his unconditional release, yet he remains in solitary confinement in deteriorating health and recently had to represent himself in court.

“Nigeria has signaled that the law is optional and targeting Christians is fair game. Just hours ago this morning, despite the pleas and cries of Nigerian people and many Nigerian lawmakers, Kanu was convicted on all charges.”

Nnamdi Kanu was on Thursday, sentenced to life imprisonment over terrorism charges.

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Nigerians Don’t Trust Their Govt – US Congressman Riley Moore

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19 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

US Congressman Riley Moore has said that Nigerian people do not trust their government.

Moore stated this on Thursday at US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC.

“The Nigerian people don’t trust their government. ‘How can you trust a government that doesn’t show up when you ask them to?

“The Nigerian government must work with the US in cooperation to address these insecurity issues.

“A case that just happened recently in Plateau state. We had a pastor there who warned the Nigerian government that they were under attack. There’s imminent attack forces here in the next 24 hours. Please come and help us.

“The Nigerian government did not only ignore it but put up a press release that it is fake news,” he said.

Moore would be meeting with a delegation of senior members of the Nigerian government, over the devastating insecurity in Nigeria and the US designation of the country as CPC, DAILY POST reports.

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US Makes U-turn, To Attend G20 Summit In South Africa

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19 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

In an 11th-hour about-turn, the United States has told South Africa it wants to take part in this weekend’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday.

President Donald Trump’s administration had said it would not take part in the November 22-23 meeting and that no final statement by G20 leaders could be issued without its presence.

It has clashed with South Africa over various international and domestic policies this year, extending its objections to Pretoria’s G20 priorities for the meeting of leading economies being held for the first time in Africa.

“We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind about participating in one shape, form or other in the summit,” Ramaphosa told reporters.

“This comes at the late hour before the summit begins. And so therefore, we do need to engage in those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it finally really means,” he said.

There was no immediate confirmation from US officials.

Ramaphosa said: “We still need to engage with them to understand fully what their participation at the 11th hour means and how it will manifest itself.”

In a note to the government on Saturday, the US embassy repeated that it would not attend the summit, saying South Africa’s G20 priorities “run counter to the US policy views and we cannot support consensus on any documents negotiated under your presidency”.

Ramaphosa said earlier Thursday that South Africa would not be bullied.

“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,” he told delegates at a G20 curtain-raiser event.

There “should be no bullying of one nation by another”, he said.

– ‘Positive sign’ –
Ramaphosa said the apparent change of heart was “a positive sign”.

“All countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here,” he said.

South Africa chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme of its presidency of the G20, which comprises 19 countries and two regional bodies, the European Union and the African Union.

Its agenda focuses on strengthening disaster resilience, improving debt sustainability for low-income countries, financing a “just energy transition” and harnessing “critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development”.

After early objections from Washington, it vowed to press on with its programme and its aim to find consensus on a leaders’ statement on the outcome of the discussions.

“We will not be told by anyone who is absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make any decisions at the summit,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Thursday.

Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.

He expelled South Africa’s ambassador in March and has imposed 30 percent trade tariffs, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

US businesses were well represented at a separate Business 20 (B20) event that wound up in Johannesburg Thursday.

The head of the US Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne Clark, thanked South Africa for fostering “real collaboration between G20 nations during a time of rapid change” during its rotating presidency, which transfers to the United States for 2026.

“The US Chamber of Commerce will use our B20 leadership to foster international collaboration,” Clark said.

The United States has significant business interests in South Africa with more than 600 US companies operating in the country, according to the South African embassy in Washington.

G20 members account for 85 percent of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world’s population.