Sunday, July 19, 2015

Presidential Riches

Most people in Africa live in abject poverty and can hardly afford a meal in a day. But politicians make a lot of money. Apart from bare salaries which they earn ‘legally’, African leaders make money from bribes, travel allowances, sitting allowances, food allowances, entertainment allowances, children allowances, medical and other special allowances. These allowances actually are what makes the politicians rich.

Edgar Lungu, President of Zambia (Salary- $98,000 Note that Lungu’s pay here does not include his pay as minister of defence.)
President of Zambia. In Zambia, the annual presidential compensation is K523, 340 ($68, 410) which includes a compensation of K414,406 and an allowance of K108,934. Lungu also earns the salary of minister of defence. As minister of defence, he earns approximately K150, 000 and special allowance K38 000 plus utility K38 000 as minister. In total this amounts to $29,542.53)
Added to his presidential pay of $68, 410, Lungu Earns above $98, 000 per annum.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia ( Salary- $90,000)
Ranked as the 70th most powerful woman in the world, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the 24th president of Liberia who took office in 2006 after winning the 2005 presidential election. The first elected female president in Africa, Sirleaf served as the Minister of Finance from 1979 t o 1980 after which she worked in several financial institutions. The Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2011, Sirleaf is best known for her non-violent struggle for uplifting the standards of woman and advocating women’s rights. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the highest paid female president in Africa with a yearly salary of $90,000.

Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast (Salary- $100,000)
Alassane Dramane Ouattara took office as the 5th President of Cote d’Ivoire in 2011. He also served as the Prime Minister of the country for three years until 1993. Outtara is an economist by profession and has worked for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) during which he uplifted the standards of the economy of Africa. The president of the Rally of the Republicans party in Ivory Coast since 1999, he is one of the richest presidents in Africa. Alassane Ouattara’s earns $100,000 per year as his salary.

Al Zeidan, ex-Prime Minister of Libya ( Salary- $105,000)
Al Zeidan, the former Prime Minister of Libya took charge of his office after being appointed by the General National Congress in 2012. A Geneva- based human rights lawyer, Zeidan graduated from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and is considered to be a strong-minded liberal. Ousted from his position in 2014, Al Zeidan considers his ousting to be invalid and was a cause of political benefits of others. Al Zeidan ranks seventh in the list of highest paid presidents in Africa with a yearly salary of $105,000.

Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of Namibia ( Salary- $110,000)
Born Hifikepunya Lucas Pohambe, the second president of Namibia who served for 10 years until 2015 had a yearly salary of $110,000. After winning the 2004 elections, he was reelected in 2009 elections and has also served in various ministerial position after the country’s independence in 1990. He also was awarded with $5 million as the 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2015. Pohambe is best known for his works in uplifting the standards of health and education in the country.

Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Rep. Congo (Salary- $110,000)
The Congolese politician and President of the Republic of Congo since 1997, Denis Sassou Nguesso was the head of single-party regime for 12 years until 1990. He introduced multi-party politics in the country and was stripped off executive powers in 1991. He was also defeated in the 1992 presidential election in 1992. However, he worked as a rebel against the Opposition during the civil war in the country and ousted President Pascal Lissouba. He is also one of the richest presidents in Africa and has a yearly salary of $110,000 which makes him the fifth highest paid presidents in Africa.

Ikililou Dhoinine, President of Comoros ( Salary- $115,000)
Comorian politician Ikililou Dhoinine served as the vice-president of Comoros for five years until 2011 after which he took the office of President in 2011. He won the 2010 Presidential election with the 61.12% votes and has been actively working to improve the health and education standards specially among women and children. A pharmacist by profession, he has been actively working to eradicate corruption in the country and is considered to be one of the best head of states in Africa. Ikililou Dhoinine’s yearly salary is $115,000 per year.

Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya ( Salary- $132,000)
The fourth and current president of Kenya Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta took charge of the country in 2013. Having served at different ministerial positions like Minister of Local Government, Deputy Prime Minister, Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Kenya African National Union, Kenyatt’s major challenges are considered to be high cost of living, high public wage bills and increasing public debts in the country. He is also the third highest paid African presidents with an annual salary of $132,000.

Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria (Salary- $168,000)
The longest serving president of Algeria, Abedelaziz Bouteflika is the fifth president of the country since 1999. Having served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1963 to 1979, Bouteflika has been one of the most notable person in Algerian politics as he ended the Algerian Civil War in 2002, and emergency rule in 2011. He also worked for the UN General Assembly as its president and is one of the richest presidents in Africa. His annual salary is estimated to be $168,000 that puts him on second in the list of highest paid African Presidents.

Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa (Salary- $272,000)
The richest president of Africa, Jacob Zuma was elected as the President of South Africa through the 2009 general elections. Having served as the President of the African National Congress, he also was the Deputy President of the country from 1999 to 2005.



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