Despite the length of their tenure, some of these leaders have been criticized for human rights abuses, corruption, and poor governance.
Below is a list of top African current heads of state including royalty, arranged in order of length of time they have held such positions continuously.
1 Teodoro Obiang (44 years)
The longest serving president in Africa as of today, he is the current and second president of Equatorial Guinea, a position he has held since August 1979. He is the longest-serving president not just in Africa but of any country ever.
Obiang Teodoro came into power after he ousted his uncle, Francisco MacÃas Nguema, in an August 1979 military coup.
2 Paul Biya (41 years
Paul Biya has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. He is the second-longest-ruling president in Africa and one of the oldest presidents in the world.
His regime is supported by France, one of the former colonial powers in Cameroon, which supplies it with weapons, aids and trains its military forces.
3 Denis Sassou Nguese (39 years)
The Republic of the Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguess has spent 34 years in office, but not in one go. He first served from 1979 to 1992 and returned in 1997 at the end of a civil war. He is the third longest serving president in Africa.
4 Yoweri Museveni (37 years)
Yoweri Museveni has been the president of Uganda since 1986 making him the fourth longest serving African president. He took office in January 1986 after winning the war that toppled Ugandan presidents Milton Obote and Idi Amin.
Records indicate that none of the Ugandan elections have been found to be free and transparent since Museveni took over.
5 Isaias Afwerki (30 years)
Isaias Afwerki is the first president of Eritrea. The Eritrean leader Isaias Afwerki has been in charge since the country got its independence from Ethiopia in April 1993.
He is the sixth longest serving president in Africa.
6 Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (24 years)
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh is the current President of Djibouti. He has been in office since 1999, making him the 8th longest-serving ruler in Africa.
Guelleh was first elected as President in 1999 as the handpicked successor to his uncle, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had ruled Djibouti since independence in 1977. He was re-elected in 2005, 2011 and again in 2016.
