This article aims to describe all 54 countries in Africa and their current heads of state. However, we will not only give you names but also tell you when these officers assume their duties.
At least it will add to your knowledge of African current events.
To save time, let’s move on with our discussion.
African Countries and their Current Head of States
Africa is the second-largest continent and the second most populated in the world is filled with richness and beautiful scenery.
There are 54 independent nations and 4 dependent nations on the continent and with a total population of approximately 1.3 billion people.
Africa is divided into five parts: North, South, East, Western, and Central.
List of African Countries and their Current Presidents
10 African countries are an island, 16 are intercontinental, and 37 have broad access to the sea. Outside of Ethiopia and Liberia, all other African states have been colonized by European countries.
The British and France took over much of the territory. Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, and Germany succeeded in capturing a few territories.
Listed below are all the African countries and their current presidents. Out of 54, 51 are republics and 3 are monarchies.
| Country | Region | Capital | Current President |
| 1. Algeria | North Africa | Algiers | Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1999-present) |
| 2. Angola | Central Africa | Luanda | Joao Lournco (2017- date) |
| 3. The Republic of Benin | West Africa | Porto Novo | Patrice Talon (2016- date) |
| 4. Botswana | South Africa | Gaborone | Mokgweetsi Masisi (2018- date) |
| 5. Burkina Faso | West Africa | Ouagadougou | Roch Marc Christian Kabore (2015- date) |
| 6. Burundi | East Africa | Bujumbura | Pierre Nkurunziza (2005-date) |
| 7. Cameroon | Central Africa | Yaoundé | Paul Biya (1982- date) |
| 8. Cape Verde | West Africa | Praia | Jorge Carlos Fonseca (2011- date) |
| 9. Central African Repulic | Central Africa | Bangui | Faustin-Archange Touadera |
| 10. Chad | Central Africa | Ndjamena | Idriss Deby (1990-date) |
| 11. Comoros | East Africa | Moroni | Azali Assoumani (2016- date) |
| 12. Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) | Central Africa | Brazzaville | Denis Sassou Nguesso (1997- date) |
| 13. The Democratic Republic of the Congo | Central Africa | Kinshasa | Joseph Kabila (2001- date) |
| 14. Djibouti | East Africa | Djibouti | Isamil Omar Guellleh (1999- date) |
| 15. Egypt | North Africa | Cairo | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (2014- date |
| 16. Equatorial Guinea | Central Africa | Malabo | Toedoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (1979- date) |
| 17. Eritrea | East Africa | Asmara | Isaias Afwerki (1991 – date) |
| 18. Ethiopia | East Africa | Addis Ababa | Sahle-Work Zewde (2018- date) |
| 19. Gabon | Central Africa | Libreville | Ali Bongo Ondimba (2009 – date) |
| 20. The Gambia | West Africa | Banjul | Adam Barrow (2017- date) |
| 21. Ghana | West Africa | Accra | Nana Akufo-Addo (2017- date) |
| 22. Guinea | West Africa | Conakry | Alpha Conde (2010- date) |
| 23. Guinea-Bissau | West Africa | Bissau | Jose Mario Vas (2014 – date) |
| 24. Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) | West Africa | Yamoussoukro | Alassane Quattara (2010 -date) |
| 25. Kenya | East Africa | Nairobi | Uhuru Kenyatta (2013- date) |
| 26. Lesotho | South Africa | Maseru | Monarch- Letsie III, King o Lesotho (1996 – date) |
| 27. Liberia | West Africa | Monrovia | George Weah (2018 to date) |
| 28. Libya | North Africa | Tripoli | Since 2016, the government of Libya split between the House of Representatives and the National Salvation Government |
| 29. Madagascar | East Africa | Antananarivo | Rivo Rakotovao (2018 to date) |
| 30. Malawi | East Africa | Lilongwe | Peter Mutharika (2014 to date) |
| 31. Mali | West Africa | Bamako | Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (2013 to date) |
| 32. Mauritania | West Africa | Nouakchott | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (2009 to date) |
| 33. Mauritius | East Africa | Port Louis | Barlen Vyapoory(2018 to date) |
| 34. Morocco | North Africa | Rabat | Monarch –Muhammed vi, king of Morocco (1999 to date). |
| 35. Mozambique | East Africa | Maputo | Filipe Nyusi (2015 to date) |
| 36. Namibia | South Africa | Windhoek | Hage Geingob (2015 to date) |
| 37. Niger | West Africa | Niamey | Muhamadou Issoufou (2011 to date) |
| 38. Nigeria | West Africa | Abuja | Muhammadu Buhari (2015 to date) |
| 39. Rwanda | East Africa | Kigali | Poul Kagame (2000 to date) |
| 40. Sao Tome and Principe | Central Africa | Sao Tome | Evaristo Carvalho (2016 to date) |
| 41. Senegal | West Africa | Dakar | Macky Sall (2012 to date) |
| 42. Seychelles | East Africa | Vitoria | Danny Faure (2016 to date) |
| 43. Sierra Leone | West Africa | Freetown | Julius Maada Bio (2018 to date) |
| 44. Somalia | East Africa | Mogadishu | Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (2017 to date) |
| 45. South Africa | South Africa | Pretoria (exclusive), Bloemfontein (judiciary), and lastly Cape town (legislative) | Cyril Ramaphosa (2018 to date) |
| 46. South Sudan | North Africa | Juba | Salva Kiir Mayardi 2018 (2005 to date) |
| 47. Sudan | North Africa | Khartoum | Omar al-Bashir (1989 to date) |
| 48. Swaziland | South Africa | Lobamba (royal and legislative)and then Mbabane (administrative) | Monarch – Mswati III, king of Swaziland (1986 to date) |
| 49. Tanzania | East Africa | Dar es Salaam (traditional capital) and Dodoma (where the legislature is situated) | John Magufuli (2015 to date) |
| 50. Togo | West Africa | Lome | Faure Gbassingbe (2015 to date) |
| 51. Tunisia | North Africa | Tunis | Beji Caid Essebsi (2014 to date) |
| 52. Uganda | East Africa | Kampala | Yoweri Museveni (1986 to date) |
| 53. Zambia | East Africa | Lusaka | Efgar Lungu (2015 to date) |
| 54. Zimbabwe | East Africa | Harare | Emmerson Mnangagwa (2017 to date) |
Facts About Africa
Let me give you some interesting facts about Africa. This will enlighten you on wonderful Africa and its inhabitants.
- Former Zimbabwean President Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the most educated president in the world. He holds 7 certificates including 2 master’s degrees.
- Morocco is the most visited nation in Africa.
- Among other African nations, Equatorial Guinea is the only country that speaks Spanish as its official language.
- Ethiopia is the only oldest nation that has not been colonized by the Europeans and has existed for over 3,000 years.
- Nigeria is home to the world’s largest monarch population.
- Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, is the oldest president in Africa and the second in the world. It originated in the year 1924.
- The wealthiest black men in Africa are Nigerians.
Africa is the birthplace of black people. The continent has a set of recreational centers and mineral resources and that’s one of the factors that attracted the Europeans.
Today, practically all countries in Africa are independent.
While some African states practice the heritage of democracy as part of their system of government, others stick to the old monarchical system of governance.
That is why some African presidents are addressed to monarchs. However, looking at what we have described above, you can see the total number of African countries along with their current heads of state.