Top 6 Poorest Presidents in Africa and Their Net Worth

Who are the poorest presidents in Africa? Have you ever wondered who the least wealthy head of state is?

This is a valid question because corruption is the norm for government officials in Africa. It is not strange for government officials to embezzle large amounts of public funds when in office. They view their offices as a jackpot or opportunity to get rich.

This article is, however, not interested in the wealthiest presidents, but the poorest presidents in Africa.

We are examining those who have a legacy of being accountable and are changing the mentality of “stealing” as much as you can, which is popular in the political class in Africa.

List of Poorest Presidents in Africa 2023

 Adama Barrow – Estimated Net Worth $1 million

The story of Adama Barrow is one of grass to grace. He is a Gambian politician, real estate developer.

He’s the current President of the Gambia, and he has been in office since 2017. He then moved to London in the early 2000s.

Held a job as a security guard while studying for his qualifications in real estate. He returned to the Gambia in 2006 and then founded Majum Real Estate.

He later became the treasurer of the United Democratic Party, which was the opposition party. Then he rose to become the leader of the party in September 2016.

He then ran for the office of the President and then won the election.

However, the incumbent President did not accept the results.

It took some international pressure before the incumbent relented, and Adama Barrow was allowed to take the position as the President.

He receives $3,583 per month and has an estimated net worth of less than $1 million.

 Edgar Lungu – Estimated Net worth $1-2 million

Edgar Lungu is Zambia’s President and supposedly one of the poorest on the continent.

He earns a monthly salary of about K51,437.67, which is approximately $2,800.

President Edgar has seen perhaps more than his fair share of controversy, facing sharp criticism for every word and action that he has taken.

There is widespread about his finances as he has declared. Many critics say that he has hidden so much of public funds away.

Whether the accusations are true or not remains to be seen. Still, officially, his net worth is estimated to be about $1 or 2 million, making him of the poorest Presidents in Africa.

João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço – Estimated Net Worth $1 Million

João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço is Angola’s President and has occupied that office since the 26th of September, 2017.

Before that, he held the office of the Minister of Defence from 2014 to 2017.

He emerged as the Chairman of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which is the ruling party.

Since he came into office as the President, he has taken a stern stand against corruption, is very transparent about his earnings.

His basic salary is approximately $168.50 per month and has an estimated net worth of less than $1 million.

 John Magufuli – Estimated Net Worth $1 million

John Magufuli is the President of Tanzania is a radical leader, one that fits the mold of Julius Nyerere or Che Guevera. He is known as the Bulldozer in Tanzania.

His monthly salary sits at $4,0008, and he was the one that made it so.

One of the first things that he did upon assuming office was to cut his salary by two-thirds. His predecessor earned a whopping $15,000 per month.

He said in a televised interview that his salary was Tsh 9 million and that he has no plans to increase it because his goal is to serve Tanzanians. His current net worth is estimated at $1 million.

Sahle-Work Zewde – Estimated Net Worth > $1 million

Sahle-Work Zewde is Ethiopia’s President, the first female to hold the position and one of the poorest in Africa. She is also the only woman on this list.

She came into the office on the 25th of October 2018 after being unanimously elected by the members of the Federal Parliamentary Assembly.

Before becoming a president, she had a career in diplomacy as she was the Special  Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the African Union.

She has also served as the Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union.

This was carried out in the capacity of the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

It would have set a terrible record had the female President decided to embezzle public funds. Fortunately, she hasn’t done that.

President Sahle-Work receives a monthly salary of $3,686.17 and has an estimated net worth of one million dollars.

 Muhammadu Buhari (Estimated Net Worth $150,000 )

Who is the poorest president in Africa? 

The current President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has been proclaimed as the poorest President in Africa with a net worth of just over $150,000 dollars.

His assets are said to include five homes, as well as two mud houses in Daura Local Government Area of Katsina State, his native village.

He also owns an orchard and a ranch that contains 270 head of cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, and some poultry farms.

His children also studied in prestigious universities in London.

All of which he claims to come from his personal savings.

In one of its reports, The Washington Post said that Buhari may be the only leader in Africa that has the least wealth.

According to the report, Buhari can be described as extremely poor, when compared to other leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa.

It was also reported that he does not have any foreign accounts, companies, private companies, or oil wells.

President Buhari is stated to have shares in one of the top paint manufacturing companies in Nigeria, as well as Union Bank and Skye Bank.

Rounding up his list of assets are two undeveloped plots of land, one in Northern Nigeria and the other in the Southern Region of the country

So there you have it, our list of some of the poorest Presidents in Africa.

While we believe that the information provided in the article is as accurate as we can make it, we have to state that politics can be very cunning.

It is, therefore, possible that some of the people on this list have deceived the world and have embezzled money and hidden it somewhere else.