African chiefs are divided into one, two and three levels, or big, medium and small chiefs. There are two or three hundred first-level officers, and there are dozens or even thousands of third-level officers. In many African countries, administrative units below the county level basically have no management institutions, and the affairs of towns and villages are handled by second-level and third-level chiefs.

A chief is the head of a tribe. Chiefdom is very common in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in remote and backward areas. According to investigation, the chieftain system was originally evolved from the primitive clan system. When Africa gradually transited from slave society to feudal society, chiefs, chiefs and chiefs systems, large and small, gradually formed on the basis of clan system. Whether in the past or today, the chieftaincy system has played an important role in Africa's political and social life.