Age and Leadership – Africa versus the “West”

As we grow older, our leadership skills change, however, do they improve or deteriorate? Generally speaking issues of our cognitive ability and other physical consequences start to affect the supposed worth of our judgement and decision making.

Others contend that as we age we tend to become naturally experienced and wise. We tend to have a better understanding of the “workings” of the world and seem more capable of drawing on our life experience in making more effective decisions and providing better leadership.

Linking age to leadership and performance of the “first” world and the “third” is tricky at best. Arguably the worth with which the supposed benefits of age are seen is culturally determined. Africans generally ascribe more status and a higher “pecking” to its older citizens. Is it, therefore, such a surprise that the average age of her leaders tend to be significantly higher than the West? The Chinese and other Asian countries tend to have a similar view of age but with markedly different economic fortunes.

Without much ado, mull over the stats below which provides a snapshot of the average age of African leaders and those in the West. Is this sufficient evidence to explain why Africa tends to lag behind in most social, political and economic indices?

AFRICAN LEADERS

Abdulai Wade (Senegal) – 83years
Hosni Mubarak ( Egypt ) – age 82
Robert Mugabe ( Zimbabwe ) – age 86
Hifikepunye Pohamba ( Namibia ) – age 74
Rupiah Banda ( Zambia) – age 73
Mwai Kibaki ( Kenya) – age 71
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ( Liberia ) – age 75
Colonel Gaddafi (Libya) – age 68
Jacob Zuma (South Africa) – age 68
Bingu Wa Mtalika – age 76.

Average Age: – 75.6
Approximately 76 years
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THE FIRST WORLD

Barrack Obama (USA) – age 48
David Cameron (UK) – age 43
Dimitri Medvedev (Russia) – age 45
Stephen Harper (Canada) – age 51
Julia Gillard (Australia) – age 49
Nicolas Sarkozy (France) – age 55
Luis Zapatero (Spain) – age 49
Jose Socrates (Portugal) – age 53
Angela Merkel ( Germany ) – age 56
Herman Van Rompuy ( Belgium ) – age 62

Average Age: 51.1 ~
Approximately 51 years
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DIFFERENCE: 25 years