List of African Presidents With Unique Dress Codes

List of African Presidents With Unique Dress Codes

  • President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has made the list of eight African presidents with a unique dress code
  • The Nigerian president was not named the number one on the continent, nor was he mentioned as the least
  • The eight African presidents are known for their unique dress code across the world, as such is the way they appear at international conferences

A number of African presidents stand out from the rest, courtesy of their unique dress codes. From crisp suits to scarves and hats, these presidents have created long-lasting identities. Taking a look at some of them with unique identities.

No fewer than eight of them have been identified by their unique dressings, which were associated with them wherever they appeared across the globe. The full list of these presidents with unique dress codes has been compiled.

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso and President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania have made the list of African presidents with unique dress code.
List of African presidents with unique dressings Photo Credit: @officialABAT, @ReutersAfrica
Source: Twitter

Below is the list of the African presidents with unique dress codes:

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Yoweri Museveni of Uganda

According to TRT Afrika, the Ugandan president often referred to himself as "the old man with the hat", indeed, the wide-brimmed hat and the 80-year-old President Museveni have been inseparable for many years now.

Museveni is a former military officer who has been the ninth president of Uganda since 1986. Currently, the Ugandan president is the longest-serving non-royal national leader globally.

Yoweri Museveni of Uganda
Uganda president, Yoweri Museveni
Source: AFP

Kenya's William Ruto

The 58-year-old came to power in September 2022 and immediately chose a dress code to set him apart from his predecessor, Ururu Kenyata, and to some extent, other African leaders.

President Ruto settled on a Kaunda suit with a short-sleeved shirt. His administration has since faced different protests over his economic policies.

Botswana's Duma Gideon Boko

Despite his fashion style being versatile, the 55-year-old President Boko's suits stand out. They are of well-pressed fabric and often give off a polished and sophisticated appearance.

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His razor-line haircut also strongly identifies him as the head of state and a lawyer by profession. He is the sixth president of the country who assumed office on November 1, 2024.

Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko has a unique hair cut
Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko and his unique haircut
Source: AFP

Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe

The 82-year-old Zimbabwean president often wears a scarf bearing the country's national flag colours: red, yellow, green, white and black.

During an international summit, President Mnangagwa hardly leaves his scarf behind. That has remained his trademark.

Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe is popular for his scarf
President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe and his scarf
Source: AFP

Nigeria's Bola Tinubu

The 73-year-old president of the West African country likes his flowing, wide-sleeved attire, traditionally worn by Nigerian men. The attire is known as Agbada, among the Yoruba community, the same tribe from which President Tinubu came.

The attire is also popular among the Hausa community, and a similar outfit is called "Babbar riga". Tinubu also has a unique cap as his identity, which has been adopted by many of his supporters.

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The unique dressing of President Bola Tinubu is the Agbada and his cap.
President Bola Tinubu's unique dressing Photo Credit: @officialABAT
Source: Twitter

Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan

The 65-year-old Tanzanian head of state always wears her hijab in public in compliance with her Islamic religion, constantly in perfect shape.

President Suluhu Hassan's hijab often makes her stand out from her fellow African leaders, especially during group photograph sessions.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is unique for her dressing.
Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania's unique dressing Photo Credit: @UsherKomugisha
Source: Twitter

Namibia's Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

The 72-year-old president often wears a head wrap, which has become her trademark in the southern African country.

She wore one during her swearing-in as the fifth president of Namibia on March 21, 2025. She is a liberation fighter and the first female head of state of Namibia.

Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traore

The 37-year-old leader is frequently seen wearing military attire, even during international visits. Captain Traore came to power through a military coup that toppled the regime of the then-military head of state, Paul Henry Damiba, in September 2022.

Now, Traore's youthful demeanour, pan-African sentiments, and calls to strengthen Africa's sovereignty have earned him significant admiration.

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The unique dressing of Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso.
Captain Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso's unique dressing
Source: AFP

Video of the African presidents:

South Africa, Rwanda trade words over Congo crisis

Legit.ng earlier reported that South Africa and Rwanda have renewed their rivalry in the Southern African region, particularly with the crisis rocking the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The situation escalated when President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa accused the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda of killing his country's peacekeepers in DR Congo.

South Africa then took a diplomatic salvo, saying further attacks on its troops would be seen as a "declaration of war".

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with over 5 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023) by Legit.ng. Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng