This article presents the number of coups d’état that have occurred in Africa since the independence of individual countries up to 2022. The consideration includes coups d’état that have been successful, those that have been attempted and those that have failed. Successful coups are those that overthrow a government in place for a new one. The attempted coups include both military and civilian (generally with military back-up) coup attempts. The failed coups include those that were attempted; and failed, and those that were discovered and foiled before the attempt 

Table 2 shows that out of a total of 167 coup d’état that have occurred in Africa from 1871 (in Liberia) to 2022, successful coups d’état account for 74 percent. This article is not exhaustive. There may have been other coup attempts that may not have come to attention and therefore not covered in this article. The intention is to give the reader reasonably adequate information on the coups that have occurred on the continent over the past sixty years, that is if the Liberian historical coups of the nineteenth century are discounted.
Coups d’état in Africa have generally been initiated by the military. There have been times however, when some coups were initiated by politicians with the backing of the military; there have also been very few times when citizens themselves rebelled and overthrew their governments.
None of the number of times any country in Africa has undergone the coup experience equals the number of times of coup d’état that have occurred in some countries outside Africa. This does not mean Africa has been lucky. Independence came to most parts of the continent from the 1960s. For the continent to experience some 167 coups, successful, attempted and failed, in just over 60 years and even earlier in a few countries, is just too much. In a journal article on the number of coups that have occurred in Africa, the writer states that the African coup experience is “pervasive.”

Most coups have occurred from accusations of mismanagement and corruption in government and corruption of government officials. Corruption has been the bane of the African continent. Those who wish to become presidents, Ministers of state, officials of government should remember that human needs, wants, greed and jealousy have never been satisfied since ancient times.  However, accountability and democracy, if carefully nurtured with necessary sanctions should be able to steer the continent's countries with speed required toward development and prosperity. 

Apart from detections of corruption, coups d’etat, considering the development and financial growth pattern of most African countries, have not been beneficial to Africa.