Faith Nyasuguta
Who are the highest-paid African leaders at the moment? This is probably one of the most asked questions around the continent.
Without any doubt, African leaders are generally considered the number one citizens of their respective countries, and understandably so, the leadership role bestows a lot of prestige on the person honoured with it and already places them far above the average citizen.
As a fact, majority of these leaders are thought to be very wealthy individuals who take home fat paychecks just because they can. This is why many politicians fight tooth and nail to be elected leaders of their different countries during their election seasons.
They’re simply attracted by the affluent lifestyle of these individuals who make a lot of money from their salaries, bonuses, and in many cases, excessive allowances.
One thing of concern is that the annual salaries of most leaders are well above the country’s GDP per capita or average wages. This is why many young citizens are curious to discover how much African leaders earn so that they can compare their pay packets with the average salaries and GDPs of other respective countries.
Using data scoured from country websites and data from organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the CIA World Factbook, here are 15 of the highest-paid African leaders
1. Paul Biya – $620,976
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician currently serving as the president of Cameroon since November 6, 1982. He is the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, the longest-ruling non-royal leader in the world, and the oldest head of state in Africa.
2. King Mohammed VI – $488,604
His Majesty King Mohammed VI is the current king of Morocco. He ascended to the throne on July 23,1999 upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. His palace’s daily operating budget is reported by Forbes to be $960,000—which is paid by the Moroccan state as part of a 2.576 billion Dirhams/year budget as of 2014—owing much of it to the expense of personnel, clothes, and car repairs.
3. Cyril Ramaphosa – $223,500
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa is a South African businessman and politician who serves as the fifth president of South Africa since 2018 and president of the African National Congress since 2017.
He is known to be one of the richest people in South Africa, with an estimated net worth of more than $450 million and has appeared in financial magazines such as Forbes Africa and Bloomberg.
4. Uhuru Kenyatta – $192,200
His Excellency President Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, C.G.H., is the fourth and current president of Kenya under The National Alliance (TNA), which was part of the Jubilee Alliance with his running mate William Ruto’s United Republican Party (URP). He is reportedly worth a fortune of $650 million.
5. Yoweri Museveni – $183,216
Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is one of the longest serving presidents in Africa and on the globe, he has been the president of Uganda for 34 years and throughout that year has amassed a whopping $13 billion.
| Name | Country | Salary USD | GDP per Capita |
| Abdelmadjid Tebboune | Algeria | $168,000 | 3,331 |
| Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | Equatorial Guinea | $152,680 | 8,132 |
| Emmerson Mnangagwa | Zimbabwe | $146,590 | 2,583 |
| Denis Sassou | Republic of Congo | $108,400 | 457 |
| Alassane Ouattara | Ivory Coast | $100,000 | 2,281 |
| George Weah | Liberia | $90,000 | 654 |
| Paul Kagame | Rwanda | $85,000 | 2,393 |
| Nana Akufo-Addo | Ghana | $76,000 | 2,188 |
| Lazarus Chakwera | Malawi | $74,300 | 399 |
| Muhammadu Buhari | Nigeria | $69,000 | 2,149 |
