Africa has been a prominent continent whose administrations are largely controlled by an elderly demographic. Not only that, the continent has several presidents and leaders who have continued to remain in office for many years.

However, with the new shift, the continent is rewriting its history by producing presidents and military leaders below 50. While some of these leaders got into power by force – through a coup d’etat, the recent election and swearing-in of a 44-year-old Faye as Senegal’s youngest president signalled that electing young representatives is slowly becoming an acceptable idea in the administration of African countries.

In this piece, we take a look at six presidents and military leaders who are below the age of 50 years at the moment:

Ibrahim Traoré assumed the roles of military and interim leader in Burkina Faso on September 30, 2022. He seized power from the former interim president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, in a coup d’état at 34. Born on March 14, 1988, Traoré, at 36, is the youngest serving president in Africa.

Mahamat Idriss “Kaka” Déby Itno, a four-star military general, currently holds the position of transitional president in Chad. Born on April 4, 1984, he assumed the role of president of the Transitional Military Council on April 20, 2021. His rise to power occurred following the death of his father, the late Chadian President Idriss Déby, who was killed in action while leading troops in the Northern Chad offensive. He stands as the second youngest serving leader in Africa.