Political term limits have caused a whole range of problems in various African countries. Those we have come to know as session-safe leaders have changed their countries’ constitutions to allow them to rule for an extended number of years.
Some other leaders have tried and failed to undermine the political time limits in their countries so they can govern longer. In Nigeria, for example, in 2009 a constitutional review panel recommended allowing then-president Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term. However, the Senate refused to change the country’s constitution to allow former President Obasanjo to stay in power, instead stepping down after his term ended. The move, if approved, would have amended Nigeria’s charter, which currently limits presidents to two four-year terms.
Political term limits can be a serious powder keg problem in African politics. Just as a bitter rift once arose in Nigeria, Zimbabwe has also experienced the brunt of having a leader for some 37 years. Robert Mugabe, who was one of the oldest leaders in the world, became the leader of Zimbabwe, then called Rhodesia, when the country gained independence from Britain in 1980, holding power for two 5-year terms.
Mugabe continued to be the head of state despite having served 33 years and in 2017 he announced he would seek another five-year term in the 2018 elections. The aged former president, who had no plans to lose power, boldly flouted the rule of law and declared that Zimbabwe was his. But citizens, fed up with his autocratic rule, took to the streets to demand his resignation. With military intervention, Mugabe finally resigned on November 21, 2017, ending a 37-year rule that began with optimism of independence but brought the country to the brink of economic collapse.
For reasons I cannot explain, African leaders always have a tendency to cling to power as if their lives depend on it. It is therefore good for citizens to know their country’s political boundary, to know when to cast their votes if something goes wrong.
The political deadlines for African countries
| country | head of state and government | Political Term Restrictions |
| Algeria | president | Two terms of five years, since 2016 constitutional reform |
| Angola | president | Two terms of five years, since 2010 constitutional reform |
| benin | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1990 Constitution |
| Botswana | president | Two five-year terms, constitution since 1966 |
| Burkina Faso | president | Two terms of five years, since 2002 constitutional reform |
| burundi | president | Two terms of five years, since 2005 constitutional reform |
| Chad | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 2005 constitutional reform |
| Cameroon | president | Unlimited term of seven years from the 2008 constitutional reform |
| Cape Verde | president | Two 5-year terms, third term only after 5 years |
| Central African Republic | president | Two terms of five years, since 2015 constitutional reform |
| Comoros | president | Indefinite 5-year non-consecutive term, since 2009 constitutional reform |
| Ivory Coast | president | Two 5-year terms, since 2000 constitutional referendum |
| The Democratic Republic of the Congo | president | Two 5-year terms, since 2005 constitutional referendum |
| Republic of the Congo | president | Three 5-year terms, since 2015 constitutional referendum |
| Djibouti | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 2010 constitutional reform |
| Egypt | president | Two 4-year terms, since 2011 constitutional referendum |
| Equatorial Guinea | president | Two terms of seven years, beginning with the 2011 constitutional reform |
| Ethiopia | president | Two six-year terms, since 1987 constitutional reform |
| Eritrea | president | Two terms of five years, since 1993 constitutional reform |
| Gabon | president | Indefinite term of 7 years, since 1991 constitutional reform |
| Ghana | president | Two 4-year terms, since 1992 constitutional referendum |
| Gambia | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 1996 constitutional reform |
| Guinea | president | Two terms of five years, since 1996 constitutional reform |
| Guinea Bissau | president | Two terms of five years, since 1991 constitutional reform |
| Kenya | president | Two terms of five years, since 1991 constitutional reform |
| Liberia | president | Two six-year terms, since 1986 constitutional referendum |
| Lesotho | king | No defined terms (succession) |
| Libya | Presidential Council | No fixed terms (transition) |
| Madagascar | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1992 constitutional referendum |
| Malawi | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1995 constitutional referendum |
| mali | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1992 constitutional referendum |
| Mauritania | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1991 constitutional referendum |
| Mauritius | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 1991 constitutional reform |
| Morocco | king | No defined terms (succession) |
| Mozambique | president | Two five-year terms, since 2004 constitutional reforms |
| Namibia | president | Two five-year terms, since 1999 constitutional reforms |
| Niger | president | Two 5-year terms, since 2010 constitutional referendum |
| Nigeria | president | Two four-year terms, since 1999 constitutional reforms |
| Rwanda | president | Two terms of 5 years, since 2015 constitutional reform (from 2024) |
| Sao Tome and Principe | president | Two five-year terms, since 2003 constitutional reforms |
| Senegal | president | Two terms of five years, since 2016 constitutional reform |
| Seychelles | president | Two five-year terms, since 2016 constitutional reforms |
| Sierra Leone | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1991 constitutional referendum |
| Somalia | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1991 constitutional referendum |
| South Africa | president | Two 5-year terms, since 1996 constitutional referendum |
| South Sudan | president | Two terms of 5 years proposed |
| Sudan | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 2015 constitutional reform |
| Swaziland | king | No defined terms (succession) |
| Tanzania | president | Two five-year terms, since 1977 constitutional reform |
| Walk | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 2002 constitutional reform |
| Tunisia | president | Two 5-year terms, since 2014 constitutional referendum |
| Uganda | president | Indefinite term of 5 years, since 2005 constitutional reform |
| Zambia | president | Two terms of five years, since 2006 constitutional reform |
| Zimbabwe | president | Two 5-year terms, since 2013 constitutional referendum |