Power is sweetest in Africa

In a continent where leaders have a worrying obsession with power, Senegalese President Macky Sall has done the unthinkable; he has slashed his Presidential term from seven to five years.

That's good news. The bad news is that he reduced his term in a bid to cancel a referendum on the issue, which was slated for April 2016. The import is that Sall won't have minded hanging on for seven years had it not been for pressure from the Opposition.

President Macky Sall. The import is that Sall won't have minded hanging on for seven years had it not been for pressure from the Opposition. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

Notably, his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade had promised he would cut his tenure to five years in 2000, but never did so during his 12 years at the top.

While there is no doubt that power is sweet, it appears to be sweeter in Africa where leaders seek to extend their terms ad infinitum. Presidents Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame and Pierre Nkurunziza have all tightened their grip on power. Luckily, Kenya with its two five-year terms has broken from this "one-man show" curse