Data compiled by media house, Africa Review, shows that South African president Jacob Zuma is the third-highest paid leader on the African continent, earning over 22 times more than the average citizen.<\/p>\n
According to the report, Zuma’s salary of $272,000 per annum is only the third-highest presidential payout, behind Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, who earns $610,000, and Moroccan ruler King Mohammed VI, who takes $480,000 per year.<\/p>\n
With average earnings of $12,240 per capita, Zuma earns 22.22 times more than the average citizen.<\/p>\n
While this pay gap is certainly large, it’s still some ways behind other African nations, which see their heads of state taking home hundreds of times more than the national average.<\/p>\n
Cameroon’s Biya comes out on top again, with his pay surpassing the national average of $2,660 by a massive 230 times.<\/p>\n
Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, commands the second biggest gap, earning 114 times more than the average citizen.<\/p>\n
Sirleaf commands and annual salary of just $90,000, versus the $790 average of her people.<\/p>\n
Africa Review’s report noted that the African leaders were ranked according to their salaries, and did not take into account money used from the countries’ coffers for personal use.<\/p>\n
Also, many African countries (such as Equatorian Guinea) have poor transparency, making it impossible to determine true pay.<\/p>\n
The tables below detail the highest paid presidents in Africa, and the presidents which earn the most relative to their national average.<\/p>\n