| Country |
First ruler |
Office |
Tenure |
Birth-Death |
Fate |
| Algeria |
 Ahmed Ben Bella |
President
(PM and acting
head of State to 1963) |
1962-1965 |
1916?-alive |
 |
| Angola |
 Agostinho Neto |
President |
1975-1979 |
1922-1979 |
 |
Benin
(formerly Dahomey) |
 Hubert Maga |
President
(also chairman of
the Presidential Council
-head of State- in 1970-72) |
1960-1963 |
1916-2000 |
|
| Botswana |
 Sir Seretse Khama |
President |
1966-1980 |
1921-1980 |
|
Burkina Faso
(formerly Upper Volta) |
 Maurice Yam�ogo |
President |
1960-1966 |
1921-1993 |
|
| Burundi |
 Mwambutsa IV |
King
(King before independence
since 1915) |
1962-1966 |
1912-1977 |
 |
 Andr� Muhirwa |
Prime Minister
(PM before independence
since 1961) |
1962-1963 |
1920-2003 |
 |
| Cameroon |
 Ahmadou Ahidjo |
President
(also Prime
Minister in 1960) |
1960-1982 |
1924-1989 |
|
| Cape Verde |
 Aristides Pereira |
President |
1975-1991 |
1923-2011 |
 |
| Central African Republic |
 David Dacko |
President
(also Prime
Minister in 1960) |
1960-1966 |
1930-2003 |
|
| Chad |
 Fran�ois Tombalbaye |
President
(styled head of State to 1962;
also PM 1959-75) |
1960-1975
(assassinated) |
1918-1975
(assassinated) |
|
| Comoros |
 Ahmed Abdallah |
President
(and again 1978-1989) |
1975 |
1919-1989
(assassinated) |
|
| Rep. of Congo |
 Fulbert Youlou |
President |
1960-1963 |
1917-1972 |
|
Dem. Rep. of Congo
(formerly Zaire) |
 Joseph Kasavubu |
President |
1960-1965 |
1913-1969 |
|
 Patrice Lumumba |
Prime Minister |
1960 |
1925-1961
(assassinated) |
|
| C�te d’Ivoire |
 F�lix Houphou�t-Boigny |
President |
1960-1993 |
1905-1993 |
|
| Djibuti |
 Hassan Gouled Aptidon |
President |
1977-1999 |
1916-2006 |
|
| Equatorial Guinea |
 Francisco Mac�as Nguema |
President |
1968-1979 |
1922-1979
(executed) |
|
| Eritrea |
 Issayas Afeworki |
President |
1993-in office |
1946-alive |
 |
Ethiopia
(No colonized country) |
 Haile Selassie I |
Emperor (Negus) |
1930-1974 |
1892-1975
(reportedly
assassinated in prison) |
|
| Gabon |
 L�on M’Ba |
President
(PM and acting
president to 1961) |
1960-1967 |
1902-1967 |
|
| Gambia |
 Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara |
President
(as PM to 1970) |
1965-1994 |
1924-alive |
|
| Ghana |
 Kwame Nkrumah |
President
(as PM to 1960) |
1957-1966 |
1909-1972 |
|
| Guinea |
 Ahmed S�kou Tour� |
President
(as PM to 1961) |
1958-1984 |
1922-1984 |
|
| Guinea-Bissau |
 Lu�s Cabral |
President |
1974-1980 |
1931-2009 |
|
| Kenya |
 Jomo Kenyatta |
President
(also PM 1963-64) |
1964-1978 |
1891-1978 |
|
| Lesotho |
 Moshoeshoe II |
King
(Paramount chief before
independence since 1960) |
1966-1990
(excepting brief
period in 1970) |
1938-1996
(accident) |
|
 Leabua Jonathan |
Prime Minister |
1966-1986 |
1914-1987 |
|
Liberia
(independent since 1847) |
 William Tubman |
President |
1944-1971 |
1895-1971 |
|
| Libya |
 Idris I as-Sanusi |
King |
1951-1969 |
1890-1983 |
|
Madagascar
(formerly Magalasy Republic) |
 Philibert Tsiranana |
President |
1960-1972 |
1910-1978 |
|
| Malawi |
 Hastings Kamuzu Banda |
President
(as PM to 1966) |
1964-1994 |
1898-1997 |
|
| Mali |
 Modibo Keita |
President
(Styled head of State
to 1965) |
1960-1968 |
1915-1977 |
|
| Mauritania |
 Moktar Ould Daddah |
President
(acting to 1961) |
1960-1978 |
1924-2003 |
|
| Mauritius |
 Seewoosagur Ramgoolam |
Prime Minister
(and Chief Minister
1961-68) |
1968-1982 |
1900-1985 |
|
| Morocco |
 Muhammad V |
King
(Sultan 1955-57) |
1956-1961 |
1909-1961 |
|
| Mozambique |
 Samora Machel |
President |
1975-1986
(accident) |
1933-1986
(accident) |
|
| Namibia |
 Sam Nujoma |
President |
1990-2005 |
1929-alive |
|
| Niger |
 Hamani Diori |
President |
1960-1974 |
1916-1989 |
|
| Nigeria |
 Nmandi Azikiwe |
President
(as Governor-General to 1963) |
1960-1966 |
1904-1996 |
|
 Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa |
Prime Minister
(also before independence
since 1957) |
1960-1966
(assassinated) |
1912-1966
(assassinated) |
|
| Rwanda |
 Gr�goire Kayibanda |
President
(and before independence
since 1961) |
1962-1973 |
1924-1976
(in prison) |
|
| S�o Tom� and Pr�ncipe |
 Manuel Pinto da Costa |
President |
1975-1991 |
1937-alive |
|
| Senegal |
 L�opold S�dar Senghor |
President |
1960-1980 |
1906-2001 |
|
| Seychelles |
 Sir James Mancham |
President |
1976-1977 |
1939-alive |
|
| Sierra Leone |
 Sir Milton Margai |
Prime Minister |
1961-1964 |
1895-1964 |
|
| Somalia |
 Abdullah Osman Daar |
President
(acting to 1961) |
1960-1967 |
1908-2007 |
|
| The Sudan |
 Ismail al-Azhari |
Prime Minister |
1956 |
1902-1969 |
|
| Swaziland |
 Sobhuza II |
King
(Paramount Chief
1921-68) |
1968-1982 |
1899-1982 |
|
| Tanzania |
 Julius Nyerere |
President
(also ruler of Tanganyka
1961-64) |
1964-1985 |
1922-1999 |
|
| Togo |
 Sylvanus Olympio |
President
(acting to 1961) |
1960-1963
(assassinated) |
1902-1963
(assassinated) |
|
| Tunisia |
 Habib Bourguiba |
President
(as PM to 1957) |
1956-1987 |
1903-2000 |
|
| Uganda |
 Sir Edward Mutesa |
President
(also King of Buganda
as Mutesa II) |
1963-1966 |
1924-1969 |
|
 Milton Obote |
Prime Minister
(as president since 1966;
also president 1980-1985 |
1963-1971 |
1925-2005 |
|
| Zambia |
 Kenneth Kaunda |
President |
1964-1991 |
1924-alive |
|
| Zimbabwe |
 Robert Mugabe |
President
(as PM to 1987) |
1980-in office |
1921-alive |
|
