These 12 African leaders are twice as old as new Burkina Faso president

Burkina Faso as of October 3 had a new president despite last holding an election in November 2022.

Ibrahim Traore, rose to the high office of president and Supreme Leader of the Armed Forces after leading a coup that ousted his former boss Lt. Col. Sandaogo Damiba.

Traore, at the age of 34 became the world’s youngest president, two years behind the democratically-elected Chilean president, Gabriel Boric.

The new Burkinabe president would hardly have made it to the presidency if he tried getting there via the ballots.

A testament to this is the fact that whereas Africa boasts a young population, it has managed to produce some of the oldest leaders.

At 34 years, Traore is in some case younger that children of some African presidents.

This article looks at some African leaders whose age is double or more than twice that of their newest counterpart in the arid West African country suffering a Sahel security crisis.

List of African leaders who are twice as old as Ibrahim Traore

a. Joao Lourenco of Angola – 68 years

b. Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa – 69 years

c. Abdelmajid Tebboune of Algeria – 76 years

d. Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria – 77 years

e. Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast – 78 years

f. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana – 78 years

g. Denis Sassou Nguesso of Republic of Congo – 78 years

h. Yoweri Museveni of Uganda – 78 years

i. Theodore Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea – 80 years

j. Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe – 80

k. Hage Geingob of Namibia – 81 years

l. Paul Biya of Cameroon – 87 years