Serêtsê Khama Ian Khama is the former president of Botswana, elected to two 5-year terms from 2008 to 2018. He is the son of Sir Serêtsê Khama, who led Botswana’s independence movement from Great Britain and became the country’s first president in 1966. Ian Khama is a champion of African democracy, known for calling on other African leaders to follow election processes, democratic rule, and term limits.
Before entering politics, Ian Khama trained as a fighter pilot and became head of Botswana’s armed forces. He served as vice president from 1998 to 2008 under president Festus Mogae and then as president, succeeding Mogae after he stepped down, until he was elected to president in 2009. At the end of his second term in April 2018, Ian Khama stepped down in respect of the country’s two-term limit. Under Khama, the government made progress in reducing poverty and providing low income housing.