Ruto set to become Africa's fifth youngest president

Top 5 youngest Presidents in Africa

1. Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia, 46yrs)

• Born on August 15,1976
• Became Prime Minister of Ethiopia on April 2, 2018.
• Was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2019
• Joined army when he was 15
• Holds a PhD in Peace and Security

2. Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar, 48 yrs)

• Has been the President of Madagascar since 2019.
• Born on May 30, 1974
• Served as President of a transitional administration until 2014 after the 2009 coup
• Was mayor of Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, for one year

3. Evariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi, 53 yrs)

• Began his seven-year term on June 18, 2020
• Born in 1968
• Was law student at University of Burundi when student inter-ethnic violence worsened
• Started his political career with significant support from Hutu ethnic group
• Was minister of the Interior and Public Security from 2006 to 2007

4. Mswati III (Eswatini, 54 yrs)

• Has been King of Swaziland since he took the throne from his father, Sobhuza II.
• Born April 19,1968
• He is the head of the Swazi Royal Family.
• Was crowned King on April 25, 1986.
• Co-rules the nation as an absolute king alongside his mother, Ntombi Tfwala
• He is a polygamist with 15 wives

5. William Ruto (Kenya, 55 yrs)

• Elected Kenya's fifth president on August 15, 2022
• Born December 21, 1966
• Will displace Liberia's George Weah to become fifth youngest President in Africa upon being sworn in on September 13, 2022
• Has served for two terms as deputy President to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta
• Will become youngest president of Kenya upon being sworn in

6. George Weah (Liberia, 55 yrs)

• Was a former professional footballer
• Born October 1, 1966
• Won 2017 election after defeating Vice President Joseph Boaka.
• First ex-pro footballer from an African nation to be president.

7. Faure Gnassingbe (Togo, 56 yrs)

• Has been President of Togo since May 4, 2005.
• Was appointed to government by his father, president Gnassingbe Eyadema who died in 2005
• Born June 6, 1966
• He won presidential election on April 24, 2005
• Was re-elected for a second term in 2010.
• Currently serving third term

Top 5 oldest Presidents in Africa

1. Paul Biya (Cameroon, 89 yrs)

• Has been the President of Cameroon since November 6, 1982.
• Born February 13, 1933, he is the oldest president in Africa.
• At 39 years and 6 months in power, he is the second-longest ruling president in Africa after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea (over 40 years)
• He is 7th on the list of top 10 oldest presidents in the world.

2. Hage Gottfried Geingob (Namibia, 81 yrs)

• Serving as third president of Namibia since 21 March 2015.
• Born August 3, 1941
• Was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002
• Served as prime minister again from 2012 to 2015

3. Alassane Ouattara (Ivory Coast, 80 yrs)

• Has been the President of Ivory Coast since 2010
• Born January 1, 1942
• Ouattara defeated incumbent Laurent Gbagbo
• Was sworn in for his third term on December 14, 2020

4.Teodoro Nguema Mbasogo (Equitorial Guinea, 79 yrs)

• Has been President of Equatorial Guinea since 1979
• Ousted his uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema, in August 1979 military coup.
• He has been in office for 41 years.
• The longest-serving president in Africa

5. Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe, 79 yrs)

• Serving as the third President of Zimbabwe since November 2017
• Longtime ally of his predecessor Robert Mugabe
• Senior member of the ruling ZANU-PF party
• Served as First Vice President of Zimbabwe from 2014 until his dismissal in 2017

Compiled by Standard Checkpoint

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