Nigeria dominates New African mag's '100 Most Influential Africans of 2017'

Nigeria

The New African magazine has published its 100 Most Influential Africans of 2017. The list gives a fine blend of Africans who are making an impact on the continent and people of African descent who are also excelling in their respective fields.

The end of year compilation which the magazine started five years ago pools together persons who made news headlines in a particular year.

Personalities across thirty-one African countries made the list. Nineteen from Anglophone Africa and the remaining 12 from the Francophone side. The 2017 list also bridged the usually wide gender gap with 42 women (the highest since 2013) as against 58 men.

This article looks at the African country that dominated the list – Nigeria. Africa’s most populous country produced a little over a fifth of the listed personalities. Their contribution of 21 was followed in a distant second by South Africa which produced 15.

Nigeria produced personalities across each of the six broad categories under which the magazine did its classification.

The categories (number of personalities) are: Politics and Public Service (18); Business and Finance (18); Civil Society and Activism (8); Education (5); Science, Technology and Innovation (12); media (8); Arts and Culture (20); and Sport (11).

Find FULL LIST: New African Magazine announces its 100 Most Influential Africans of 2017

“What our readers will find pleasing, is the almost bewildering diversity of this list – in terms of race, ethnic and national diversity. This list, if nothing else, displays the beauty and power of the diversity that makes the Africa we all love,” says Omar Ben Yedder – Group Publisher and Managing Director of IC Publications.

#Dangote sole #Africa-n on #Bloomberg '2017 50 Most Influential People' #Nigeria https://t.co/7VB0×7rqYD

— africanews (@africanews) December 10, 2017

Below are the Nigerians in each category:

POLITICS AND PUBLIC SERVICE

Amina J Mohammed – UN Deputy Secretary General. Yemi Osinbajo – Vice President Akinwumi Adesina – President Africa Development Bank; Winner – World Food Prize 2017 Bola Tinubu – Former Lagos State governor BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Aliko Dangote – Successful business mogul Africa’s richest man Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu – Minister of State for Petroleum Resources CIVIL SOCIETY AND ACTIVISM

Dr Fatima Akilu – Psychologists and founder Neem Tree Foundation Rehabilitating Boko Haram victims
Ikponwosa Ero – UN’s Human Rights Council Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of Human Rights by Persons with Albinism.

SCIENCE, TECH & INNOVATION

Adamu Waziri – Founder – Bino and Fino African children’s TV and Youtube animations
Anne-Marie Imafidon – child progidy, co-founder of Stemettes for young women in science and tech (Nigeria/UK)
Iyinoluwa ‘E’ Aboyeji – Founder, Flutterwave
Jelani Aliyu – Design of GM’s electric Chevrolet Volt car, now new Director general of Nigeria’s National Automotive Design and Development Council

EDUCATION AND ACADEMIA

Tom Ilube – Tech entrepreneur and educationist (Nigeria/UK)

MEDIA

Adedoyin Adepitan – Intrepid Paralympian and TV presenter (Nigeria/UK)

ARTS & CULTURE

Roye Okupe – Found YouNeek Studios – which creates African comic books and superheroes
Njideka Akunyili Crosby – Visual Artist
WizKid – Award-winning Afrobeat sensation
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Author, Feminist and Global Icon

SPORT

Anthony Joshua – the affable Boxing heavyweight Champ – (Nigeria/UK)
Eniola Aluko – the football star who stood up and exposed a racism in the English FA (Nigeria/UK)
Asisat Oshoala – Women’s football royalty.