Linda Ikeji, President Buhari, Aliko Dangote and others Make Africa’s 100 Most Influential List

 

Kenya, Uganda and Cameroon also feature strongly with eight, six and six entries each respectively. Of the top 100 personalities, 65 are men and 32 are women, with the other three being groups of people. South Africa’s students, for example, were recognized this year for their role in South Africa’s #FeesMustFall and #Rhodesmustfall campaigns.

The list presents the continent’s definitive power list and profiles the continent’s top game changers in eight different fields: 22 from politics ; four from public office; 21 from arts and culture; 21 from business; 11 from civil society; nine from technology; seven from media, and five from sports.

In one of the continent’s most dramatic and unusual elections of 2015, and Nigeria’s most significant in recent history, Muhammadu Buhari defeated his opponent and incumbent Goodluck Jonathan. Both are recognized in New African. Other Nigerians recognized include the former UN Special Adviser on Post Development Planning, and current minister of Environment, Amina J. Mohammed; AfDB’s new President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and a surprising addition from the Nigerians in Diaspora, UK MP, Chuka Umunna, who was in the frame Labour Party leadership.

South Africa also had its fair share of political influencers, among them "the black leader of South Africa’s ‘white’ opposition" party, the DA’s youthful Mmusi Maimane who also makes the list as one to watch during the next elections.

Prominent women making the list are UN Women’s Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and fellow South African Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the current chairperson of the AU Commission, widely tipped to be a potential successor to her former husband, President Jacob Zuma.

Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is recognised together with her fellow heads of states, Alpha Conde of Guinea and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, for beating the odds to win the war against Ebola in 2015.

African financial giant and Credit Suisse boss, Tidjane Thiam, from Côte d’Ivoire, makes this year’s most influential list for Business and Economy, where he is joined by new World Bank VP and Treasurer, Arunma Otteh, Kenyan ‘DJ’ businessman Chris Kirubi and the entrepreneur and innovator behind Tesla cars, Elon Musk, among others. Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote also makes the list.

Also on the list are innovators (Cameroon’s Tonje Bakang), philanthropists (Senegal’s Akon), athletes (Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana), actors (Zimbabwe’s Danai Gurira and Keyna’s Lupita Nyong’o), writers (Zambia’s Namwali Serpell), cultural and media personalities (Trevor Noah and Linda Ikeji), along with the activists, artists, models, musicians that have made the headlines and shaped opinions during the year.