Daniel Francisco Chapo doesn't need to raise his voice to stand out. Standing approximately 6 feet 8 inches tall, the President of Mozambique is widely considered to be the tallest head of state in the world. But his rapid rise from radio presenter to the country's highest office has made him one of the most closely watched leaders in Southern Africa.
Born on January 6, 1977, in Inhaminga, a small town in Sofala province, Chapo grew up during Mozambique's brutal civil war. He was the sixth of ten children in a family that was forced to relocate to a nearby district due to fighting. Those early disruptions shaped a life marked by movement, study, and steady political rise.
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Chapo completed his secondary education in the coastal city of Beira before earning a law degree from Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo in 2000. He later obtained a master's degree in Development Management from the Catholic University of Mozambique. Along the way, he built a diverse professional career, working as a radio announcer and television news presenter, working as a legal notary, lecturing in constitutional law and political science, and holding senior administrative positions within the government.
His entry into politics came in 2009 through the ruling Frente de Libertação de Moçambique, Frelimo. Before being appointed governor of Inhambane Province in 2016 he served as district administrator in Nacala a Velha and later in Palma. Three years later, he regained the post through election, cementing his reputation as a loyal and disciplined party leader.
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That loyalty was rewarded in May 2024, when FRELIMO nominated him as its presidential candidate with overwhelming internal support. This decision surprised many observers. Chapo was relatively unknown at the national level and had never held a cabinet post. Yet his selection also marked a generational shift. Born after independence from Portugal in 1975, he became the first FRELIMO presidential candidate of that era.
Mozambique's elections in October 2024 proved deeply contested. The electoral commission declared Chapo the winner with more than two-thirds of the vote, while opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane rejected the result, alleging widespread fraud. International observers and church leaders raised concerns and protests broke out across the country, leaving hundreds dead.
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Despite the unrest, Chapo was sworn in as President of Mozambique on January 15, 2025. In his public comments since then, he has spoken in a calmer tone. Speaking at a recent birthday celebration, he acknowledged the scale of the task ahead. “We have to fix our country economically,” Chapo said. “It is easy to destroy, but to build is no easy task.”
At 48, he is the first president who is younger than the country he leads. Supporters see him as a disciplined organizer and a product of FRELIMO's political machine.
Away from politics, Chapo is married to Guetta Suleiman Chapo and is the father of four children. He is described as a church-going Christian and has a passion for basketball and football, sports that suit his gorgeous image.
