THOMAS SANKARA

Here’s Thomas Sankara, the best president in Africa’s history. Within four years, he:

Empowered women.

Increased literacy from 13-73% refused aids and made his country self reliant.

Renamed his country to Burkina Faso (meaning Land of the Upright People).

Vaccinated 2M kids.

Reduced all public servants salaries including his.

Built 350 schools, roads, railways without foreign aid.

Increased literacy rate by 60%.

Banned forced marriages.

Gave poor people land.

Planted 10 million trees.

Appointed females to high governmental positions, encouraged them to work, recruited them into the military, and granted pregnancy leave during service at work.

Sold off the government fleet of Mercedes cars and made the Renault 5 (the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso at that time) the official service car of the ministers.

He reduced the salaries of all public servants, including his own, and forbade the use of government chauffeurs and 1st class airline tickets.

As President, he lowered his salary to $450 a month and limited his possessions to a car, four bikes, three guitars, a fridge and a broken freezer.

He opposed foreign aid, saying that “he who feeds you, controls you.”

Drove out French imperialism & withdrew Burkina Faso from IMF.

He was later killed in a French backed coup in 1987.