Political term limits have caused quite a number of problems in various African countries. Those we have come to know as sit-tight leaders have changed the constitutions of their countries to allow them to rule for a longer number of years.
Some other leaders have tried and failed to subvert the political term limits in their countries so they can rule longer. In Nigeria, for instance, a constitutional review panel in 2009, recommended allowing the then sitting president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to run for a third term. However, the Senate refused to change the country’s constitution – in order that former president Obasanjo could stay in power, instead of stepping down at the expiration of his term. The move, if approved, would have altered Nigeria’s charter, which at the moment, limits presidents to two four-year terms.
Political term limits can be a serious powder keg issue in African politics. Just as it once caused a bitter divide in Nigeria, Zimbabwe also experienced the brunt of having one leader for about thirty-seven 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. In 2013, there was a constitutional referendum which made provision for the nation’s presidents to be in power for two 5-year terms.
Mugabe still continued as the head of state despite having spent 33 years and in 2017, he announced his intention to seek another five-year term at elections due in 2018. The aged former president who had no plans of letting go of power, in total disregard for the rule of law, boldly declared that Zimbabwe belonged to him. But citizens who were fed up with his autocratic rule took to the streets demanding his resignation. With the intervention of the military, Mugabe finally left office on November 21, 2017, ending his 37-year rule that started off with the optimism of independence but ended up taking the country to the brink of economic meltdown.
For reasons which I cannot explain, African leaders always have a tendency of clinging to power as if their life depends on it. It is, therefore, good for citizens to know the political limit of their country in order to know when to lend their voices if things begin to go wrong.
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The Political Term Limits For African Countries
| Country | Head of state/government | Political Term Limits |
| Algeria | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2016 Constitutional Reform |
| Angola | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2010 Constitutional Reform |
| Benin | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1990 Constitution |
| Botswana | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1966 Constitution |
| Burkina Faso | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2002 Constitutional Reform |
| Burundi | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2005 Constitutional Reform |
| Chad | President | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 2005 Constitutional Reform |
| Cameroon | President | Unlimited 7-year terms, from 2008 Constitutional Reform |
| Cape Verde | President | Two 5-year terms, the third term only after 5 years |
| Central African Republic | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2015 Constitutional Reform |
| Comoros | President | Unlimited 5-year non-consecutive terms, since 2009 Constitutional Reform |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 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 | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 2010 Constitutional Reform |
| Egypt | President | Two 4-year terms, since 2011 Constitutional Referendum |
| Equatorial Guinea | President | Two 7-year terms, starting from 2011 Constitutional Reform |
| Ethiopia | President | Two 6-year terms, since 1987 Constitutional Reform |
| Eritrea | President | Two 5-Year terms, since 1993 Constitutional Reform |
| Gabon | President | Unlimited 7-year terms, since 1991 Constitutional Reform |
| Ghana | President | Two 4-year terms, since 1992 Constitutional Referendum |
| Gambia | President | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 1996 Constitutional Reform |
| Guinea | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1996 Constitutional Reform |
| Guinea-Bissau | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1991 Constitutional Reform |
| Kenya | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1991 Constitutional Reform |
| Liberia | President | Two 6-year terms, since 1986 Constitutional Referendum |
| Lesotho | King | No set terms (Hereditary succession) |
| Libya | Presidential Council | No set terms (Transitional) |
| 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 | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 1991 Constitutional Reform |
| Morocco | King | No set terms (Hereditary succession) |
| Mozambique | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2004 Constitutional Reforms |
| Namibia | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1999 Constitutional Reforms |
| Niger | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2010 Constitutional Referendum |
| Nigeria | President | Two 4-year terms, since 1999 Constitutional Reforms |
| Rwanda | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2015 Constitutional Reform (from 2024) |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2003 Constitution Reforms |
| Senegal | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2016 Constitutional Reform |
| Seychelles | President | Two 5-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 5-year terms, proposed |
| Sudan | President | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 2015 Constitutional Reform |
| Swaziland | King | No set terms (Hereditary succession) |
| Tanzania | President | Two 5-year terms, since 1977 Constitutional Reform |
| Togo | President | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 2002 Constitutional Reform |
| Tunisia | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2014 Constitutional Referendum |
| Uganda | President | Unlimited 5-year terms, since 2005 Constitutional Reform |
| Zambia | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2006 Constitutional Reform |
| Zimbabwe | President | Two 5-year terms, since 2013 Constitutional Referendum |
