President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was on Tuesday inaugurated as President of Senegal. He is the youngest to take the presidential seat in the West African nation. 

Here is a list of youngest leaders in Africa. 

1.     Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso ( 36)

Ibrahim Traoré is the current youngest serving President in Africa after he displaced the former military leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba through a coup d’etat when he was 34. Ibrahim Traoré has been in charge of the Affairs of Burkina Faso since September 30th, 2022.

2.     Mahamat Deby, Chad ( 39)

Four-star military general, Mahamat Idriss “Kaka” Déby Itno is serving as the transitional president of Chad. He gained power following the death of his father, late Chadian President Idriss Déby who died in action while commanding troops in the Northern Chad offensive.  Born April 4, 1984, he assumed power on 20 April 2021. He is the second youngest serving African leader.

3. Assimi Goïta, Mali (41)

Following the military take over in Mali against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020, Assimi Goïta became president and the third youngest military leader in Africa. The 41-yeat-old has been in charge of Mali on interim basis since May 28th, 2021.

4.     Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea ( 44)

Mamady Doumbouya led a coup d’état on 5 September 2021 that ousted the former president, Alpha Condé.

Doumbouya is now the military officer serving as the interim president of Guinea since 1 October 2021. Born on March 4, 1980, makes him the fourth youngest leader on the African continent at age 44.

5.     Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal (Age 44)

Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is the youngest democratically elected president in Africa, and the fifth youngest African leader sworn in in on April 2, 2024. He is a lawyer, tax inspector, and politician who ran for the office of the president in place of disqualified candidate Ousmane Sonko. He was born on March 25, 1980.

6.     Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia (Age 47)

Abiy Ahmed was born on 15 August 1976 is the sixth youngest African leader. He is a politician serving as the third Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018. Ahmed is a computer engineer and military officer. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea”..

7.     Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar ( 49)

Andry Nirina Rajoelina was born on 30 May 1974 and is the seventh youngest African leader. The Malagasy-French politician and businessman who has served as president of Madagascar since 2019 was president of a provisional government from 2009 to 2014 following a political crisis and military-backed coup. He once held the office of Mayor of Antananarivo for one year. Before venturing into politics, Rajoelina was a media and advertising entrepreneur.