African heads of state have been leading and building the countries of Africa.
Ahmed Ben Bella was a leader of the Algerian War of Independence who became the first Prime Minister, and later, the first President of independent Algeria. Ben Bella was born in 1916 in Maghnia (Marnia), Oran, Algeria (then a French colony), the son of a … Read MoreAhmed Ben Bella (1916-2012)
Ismail Al-Azhari was the first Prime Minister of independent Sudan from 1954 to 1956 and, also, served as President of Sudan from 1965 to 1969. Al-Azhari was born in Omdurman, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan on October 26, 1900. Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was a condominium, created by agreements concluded … Read MoreIsmail Al-Azhari (1900-1969)
Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno is the Chairman of the Transitional Military Council of Chad (de facto President). Déby is the son of the former President of Chad, Idriss Déby. He was born on April 4, 1984, in the capital city of N’Djamena and is known … Read MoreMahamat Idriss Déby Itno
(1984- )
Antonio Agostinho Neto, fondly honored by Angolans as the “Father of Modern Angola” served as the first president of independent Angola. Not only was he a remarkable politician, but Neto was also a noted physician and famous poet. Antonio Agostinho Neto was born on September … Read MoreAgostinho Neto (1922-1979)
Milton Apollo Obote was the first Prime Minister and second President of Uganda. Obote was born in the village of Akoroko in Uganda on December 28, 1925. He was the third of nine children born to his parents who were farmers. Obote was from the … Read MoreMilton Obote (1925-2005)
Isais Afwerki, a former freedom fighter, has been President of Eritrea since its independence in 1993. Afwerki was born in the Abu Shi’aul district of Asmara, Eritrea on February 2, 1946. At that time Eritrea was ruled by Great Britain. Afwerki attended primary schools in … Read MoreIsaias Afwerki
(1946- )
Salva Kiir Mayardit is the first and current President of South Sudan. Salva Kiir Mayardit (often referred to as Salva Kiir) was born on September 13th,1951 in Akon, Bahr El Ghazal province, Sudan. His father, Kuethpiny Thiik Atem was a cattle herder. His mother, Awei … Read MoreSalva Kiir Mayardit (1951- )
Patrice Talon was elected President of Benin (formerly known as Dahomey) in 2016 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon was born on May 1, 1968, in Ouidah, Atlantique Department, Benin. His father was from Ouidah and his mother was … Read MorePatrice Talon (1958- )
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is the President of Uganda, a post he has held since 1986. Museveni was born on September 15, 1944, to Mzee Amos Kaguta and Esteri Kokundeka Nganzi in Rukungirl, British Protectorate of Uganda (now Uganda). At an early age, Museveni moved to … Read MoreYoweri Kaguta Museveni (1944- )
On March 19, 2021, Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania’s president following the death of President John Magufuli from heart failure on March 17. Hassan, the sixth president of Tanzania, and the first woman to head this nation was born in the town of Makunduchi, Tanzania … Read MoreSamia Suluhu Hassan (1960- )
