Sema Fonkem 24 August 2026

Not only is the average age of African Head of states 65, but most African nations where citizens are dissatisfied with their leaders have been independent for over 60 years, with Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Somalia serving as examples of countries where poor citizens still live below $1.00 USD per day.

While older elites continue to hold power, youth reforms and empowerment remain at the forefront of political campaigns and boardrooms across the continent, with little or change. In a country like Rwanda which has been independent for 64 years, President Paul Kagame has intentionally and unapologetically prioritise the country’s transformation plan to make a difference.

While the old-age incumbent leaders constantly focus on altering constitutions to remove age limits and extend their reign, less energy is being directed into the people’s interests, which is national development. To hold control of state resources, intimidation-style leadership becomes the norm, including control of the media and electoral commissions.

In countries such as Senegal and Burkina Faso, the rise of military and alternative democratic figures has brought some hope, but the sad reality is that leadership change does not always result in economic development.

With the majority of Africa’s population aged 25 to 30, many of its youth have chosen migration to regions such as Europe and South Africa where the rest of Africa’s failure has been recently visible given the large number of migrants in the country looking for greener pastures.

The majority of African leaders continue to make empty promises to the detriment of citizens and economic growth, leading observers to conclude that African politics is built on rhetoric rather than action.