Education is imparting and developing the power of reasoning and judgment that is usually required for country leaders. As most of the presidents gain power through the struggle of liberation, here are the top 16 most educated African presidents in order of their rankings.
- Robert Gabriel Mugabe (Zimbabwe)
Robert Mugabe was born in 1924 on the 21st February in Kutama, Zimbabwe. He became the prime minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987, then the president from 1987 to 2017. He died recently on 6th September 2019 in Singapore. Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a revolutionary African hero who struggled to help his country attain liberation from the white minority rule. Mugabe valued education to the core. He attained various degrees and certifications to his educational background that saw him become the most educated African president.
Robert Mugabe also earned himself two law degrees while he was in prison between 1964 and 1975, whereas the Master of Science in Economics led the Zimbabwe government to her independence. Robert Mugabe’s academic qualifications include;
ACADEMIC DEGREES:
Bachelor of Arts (History and English) degree from the University of Fort Hare (1951), Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of London (External Programme), Master of Science in Economics from University of London (External Programme), Bachelor of Administration from University of South Africa (Unisa), Bachelor of Laws from University of London (External Programme), Bachelor of Education from the University of South Africa (Unisa) and Master of Laws from University of London (External Programme)
REVOKED HONORARY DEGREES:
Honorary LLD degree from the University of Edinburgh (1994), which was revoked in June 2007.
THE honorary LLD degree from the University of Massachusetts (1986) was also revoked in June 2008.
Honorary LLD degree from Michigan State University (1990) and was revoked on 12 September 2008.
HONORARY DEGREES:
Honorary degree in Philosophy (African Heritage and Philosophy) degree from Great Zimbabwe University (Zimbabwe), Honorary degree in Technology degree from National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe), Honorary LLD degree from Lomonosov, Moscow State University (Russia), Honorary degree in Civil Laws degree from University of Mauritius (Mauritius), Honorary LLD degree from Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia), Honorary degree in Communication from Fort Hare University (South Africa), Honorary LLD degree from St. Augustine’s University (Tanzania), Honorary LLD degree from University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Honorary LLD degree from Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria), Honorary D. Litt. Degree from Africa University (Zimbabwe) and Honorary LLD degree from Solusi University (Zimbabwe).
2. King Mohammed VI (Morocco)
King Mohammed VI was born in August 1963 in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. He belongs to the Alaouite dynasty. He became king in 1999 after the death of his father, King Hassan. Besides his leadership skills, he is also named one of the 50 richest men, according to Forbes, from his inheritance and businesses.
King Mohammed is known to be Morocco’s superpower because of his power to appoint a prime minister for the country. Rarely did kings have an education. King Mohammed proves the old norms wrong because he has attained education and holds academic qualifications that make him a feature of most educated presidents in Africa. King Mohammed VI has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the Mohammed V University at Agdal and a Ph.D. in Law from the French University of Nice Sophia Antipolis.
3. George Manneh Oppong Weah (Liberia)
George Manneh Weah was born in Clara Town, Liberia, in October 1966 before he accomplished a lot to his name as a Liberian activist, professional footballer, and later politician and senator to Montserrado County after he had retired from professional football.
George Manneh Oppong Weah, commonly known as George Weah, is familiar to soccer lovers because he was a former professional footballer that played for international teams like Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), AC Milan, among others.
In 2018, they announced George Manneh Oppong Weah, president of the Republic of Liberia, up to date. George Weah attained education, and his academic qualifications include; Degree in Business Administration from DeVry University, Master’s Degree in Management from Keller’s Graduate School of Management, BA in Sports Management from Parkwood University, London (this qualification certificate was given without requiring the study) and Muslim Congress and High School at Wells Hairston High School.
4. Alassane Dramane Quattara (Ivory Coast)
Alassane Dramane Ouattara is the current president of Ivory Coast since he attained power in 2010. However, with his academic qualifications, Alassane became an economist by profession and knew the financial trend and has made Ivory coast’s economic growth blossom over other African countries.
He practiced his profession by working for the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of West African State before he was appointed prime minister of the Ivory Coast by president Félix Houphouët-Boigny in November 1990 to December 1993.
Alassane Dramane Ouattara’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
5. John Pombe Magufuli (Tanzania)
John Pombe Magufuli is the fifth president of Tanzania since 2015 and was recently re-elected as the Republic of Tanzania president. John Pombe was a chairperson of the Southern African Development Community for a year from 2019 to 2020.
John Magufuli was first elected in 1995 as a member of parliament, served as Minister of Lands and human settlement, the Deputy of the Ministry of Works, and Minister of livestock and fisheries. John Pombe was once a schoolteacher and was nicknamed “Tanzanian bulldozer.”
John Pombe Magufuli attained education and holds academic qualifications that include; a Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Dar es Salaam, a BSC in Chemistry from the University of Dar es Salaam, and a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Dar es Salaam.
6. Faure Essozimma Gnassingbe (Togo)
Faure Essozimma Gnassingbe joined the political scene after they appointed him as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications by Président Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who was his father before he died. Faure Essozimma later took on power as president after his father died and has been Togo’s president for over 38 years. He completed his secondary education in Lome.
Faure Essozimma went further with his education, studied financial business management and got academic qualifications: a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, The George Washington University in the United States and Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Management, Sorbonne, in Paris.
7. Mulatu Teshome (Ethiopia)
Mulatu Teshome is the former president of Ethiopia, and his presidential term took 6 years from 7th October 2013 to 25th October 2018 through a parliamentary vote. Mulatu Teshome studied political economy and law that got him involved in the political scene.
Mulatu Teshome holds academic qualifications that include; Doctorate Degree in International Law from Peking University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy of Political Economy from Peking University that he both attained in Beijing, China, Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
8. Arthur Peter Mutharika (Malawi)
Arthur Peter Mutharika won Malawi’s presidential seat in 2014 before he stepped down in June 2020. He worked in international justice and specialized in international economic law, comparative constitutional law, and international law. Peter Mutharika served as an Advisor to Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawi’s former president and his elder brother, who later died that gave him momentum to win his presidential seat.
He had various leadership roles, education, and academic qualification fueled that include a Law degree from the University of London, a Master of Laws degree from Yale University, and a Doctor of Law degree from Yale University.
9. Hage Geingob (Namibia)
Hage Geingob served in leadership roles such as prime minister of the state before he took power to become the third president of Namibia in 2015 up to date.
Hage Geingob attained his high education in New York and gained academic qualifications such as Master of Arts in International Relations from Graduate Faculty of The New School, Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University; both attained in New York.
10. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (Mali)
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is the former president of Mali who served his nation from September 2013 before being forced to resign by the Malian coup d’état in August 2020.
Ibrahim Keita studied in Bamako at Lycée Askia-Mohamed and Lycée Janson-de-Sailly in Paris, and continued his education at the University of Dakar, the University of Paris l, the Institut d’Histoire des Relations Internationales Contemporaries (IHRIC; Institute of the Modern History of International Relations) and holds a master’s degree in History.
11. Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim (Mauritius)
Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim is the only female president who makes it to the most educated presidents. Ameenah Gurib is a politician and biodiversity scientist who served as Mauritius’s sixth president, the third woman to serve Mauritius’s nation, and the first woman to be elected. Bibi Ameenah Gurib gained recognition for her amazing and rapid administration progress as the president of Mauritius, as her ability to lead such a nation gives empowerment to the Girl child.
Bibi Ameenah Firdaus Gurib-Fakim couldn’t be a scientist without an education; the former president holds a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) degree from the University of Surrey and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Exeter University attained in England.
12. Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Al-Gaddafi (Libya)
The former president of Libya is known to be a revolutionary and political theorist who studied history at the University of Libya in Benghazi before he dropped out to join the Royal Military Academy. Muammar Gaddafi later went to Britain for further training at the British Army Staff College and became a commissioned officer in the signal corps. Muammar Gaddafi also authored works of literature such as The Green Book, my vision, Escape to Hell, Escapade en fer et Autre Nouvelles, Introduction to the Explanatory Articles on the Green Book, among others.
13. William Addo Dankwa Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana)
William Addo Dankwa Nana Akufo-Addo is the president of Ghana, following in the footsteps of his father, Edward Akufo-Addo, who was also the head of the state of Ghana. Nana Akufo-Addo served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Kufuor-led administration and Attorney General. Addo Dankwa Nana Akubo-Addo attended Oxford to study Philosophy, politics, and Economics, earned a Bachelor in Science, Economics, went to the University of Ghana and Inns of Court School of Law.
14. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (South Africa)
Nelson Mandela was a South African philanthropist, political leader, and anti-apartheid revolutionary who was South African president and first elected representative through a democratic election. Nelson Mandela studied law at the University of Witwatersrand, where she passed the qualification exam to become a lawyer and the University College of Fort Hare. Nelson Mandela became a youth league leader in 1944 after he joined the liberation group, the African National Congress (ANC).
15. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (Uganda)
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is the Republic of Uganda president that has governed since 1986 after he became involved with other leaders such as Milton Obote and Idi Amin. Yoweri Kaguta went to the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where he studied economics and political science. Yoweri Kaguta has also authored literature such as What is Africa’s problem, sowing the mustard seed, and Thesaurus of Runyankore-Rukiga that were all published.
16. Julius Kambarage Nyerere (Tanzania)
Julius Kambarage Nyerere was born in a British colony in Tanganyika, Butiama, an anti-colonial activist, political theorist, and politician who served as a prime minister before leading the nation president from 1964 to 1985. Julius Nyerere studied at Edinburgh University in Scotland and Makerere University in Uganda before returning to Tanganyika to be a teacher.
Conclusion
Regardless of their educational backgrounds, some of these presidents have been very exemplary, besides others being ruthless and dictators during their reign.
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