Dangote, Adichie, Davido tops list of 100 most powerful people in Africa, See full list

The Africa Report’s inaugural ranking of the top Africans who control the levers of power across politics, business and the arts: from billionaire barons to unpredictable peacemakers and soft-power superstars.

Here are the top 100:

1 – Aliko Dangote (Nigeria) – Money talks
2 – Elon Musk (South Africa) – Rocket man
3 – Koos Bekker (South Africa) – Go-getter in Asia
4 – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) – The sun keeps rising
5 – Trevor Noah (South Africa) – Mic wrecker

6 – Tidjane Thiam ( Côte d’Ivoire) – Master strategist
7 – Davido (Nigeria) – Naija pop idol
8 – Enoch Adeboye (Nigeria) – Sacred networker
9 – Kumi Naidoo South Africa) – Crime fighter
10 – Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia) – Change agent

11 – Mark Bristow (South Africa) Golden boy
12 – Strive Masiyiwa (Zimbabwe) The connector
13 – Adebayo Ogunlesi (Nigeria) Plane enthusiast
14 – Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egypt) Sitting pretty
15 – Naguib Sawiris (Egypt) Opinionated investor

16 – Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) Mountain climber
17 – Iyinoluwa ‘E’ Aboyeji (Nigeria) ‘E’ for excellence
18 – Wizkid (Nigeria) Starboy
19 – Denis Mukwege (DRC) Nobel cause
20 – Winnie Byanyima (Uganda) Rising to a challenge

21 – Mo Ibrahim (Sudan) Truth teller
22 – Mike Adenuga (Nigeria) Alliance builder
23 – Muhoho Kenyatta (Kenya) Family business
24 – Idris Elba (Ghana/Sierra Leone) Storyteller
25 – Anas Aremeyaw Anas (Ghana) Truth teller

26 – James Mwangi (Kenya) Sharp-eyed
27 – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Nigeria) World Banker
28 – Patrice Motsepe (South Africa) Mining money
29 – Mohamed Salah (Egypt) Knight in white
30 – Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria) A-grade fixer

31 – Tewolde GebreMariam (Ethiopia) High flyer
32 – Maria Ramos (South Africa) Finance supreme
33 – Tope Lawani (Nigeria) Private eye
34 – Nicky Oppenheimer (South Africa) Still at the table
35 – Mitchell Elegbe (Nigeria) Fintech frontiersman

36 – David Adjaye (Ghana) Raising the roof
37 – Acha Leke (Cameroon) Consulted
38 – Mohamed El Kettani (Morocco) Expedition leader
39 – Aziz Akhannouch (Morocco) Fishing for business
40 – Herbert Wigwe (Nigeria) Minnow-cum-whale

41 – Sim Tshabalala (South Africa) Class topper
42 – Lupita Nyong’o (Kenya/US) Screen idol
43 – Onyeka Akumah (Nigeria) Seed capital
44 – Ory Okolloh (Kenya) Impact investor
45 – Tayo Oviosu (Nigeria) Bill payer

46 – Mohamed Aly El-Erian (Egypt) Word to the wise
47 – Kamel Daoud (Algeria) Acid pen
48 – Kola Masha (Nigeria) King of yield
49 – Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria) Green gold
50 – Danai Gurira (Zimbabwe/US) Cutting edge

51 – Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) Voice master
52 – Sauti Sol (Kenya) Groove riders
53 – Shamila Batohi (South Africa) Jail filler
54 – Mona Eltahawy (Egypt) Sword and shield
55 – Jim Ovia (Nigeria) Money magnet

56 – Pravin Gordhan (South Africa) Bomb proof
57 – T.B. Joshua (Nigeria) Prophesy and power
58 – Albert Yuma (DRC) Diamond geezer
59 – Moussa Faki Mahamat (Chad) Top diplomat
60 – Julius Malema (South Africa) Agent of change

61 – Kwame Anthony Appiah (Ghana/US) Contemporary questioner
62 – Achille Mbembe (Cameroon) Public intellectual
63 – Edward Enninful (Ghana) Voguing!
64 – Vera Songwe (Cameroon) Adding it up
65 – Louise Mushikiwabo (Rwanda) Diplomat extraordinaire

66 – James Mworia (Kenya) Meteoric rise
67 – Akwaeke Emezi (Nigeria/Malaysia) Poetry in emotion
68 – Mohammed Dewji (Tanzania) Youthful gains
69 – Tony Elumelu (Nigeria) Engaging entrepreneur
70 – Tony Attah (Nigeria) Riding on

71 – Fatou Bensouda (Gambia) Prosecutor under pressure
72 – Moustapha Cissé (Senegal) Natural and artificial intelligence
73 – Ibrahim Mahama (Ghana) Going places
74 – Nunu Ntshingila (South Africa) Connecting the continent
75 – Khalifa Haftar (Libya) Stubborn strongman

76 – Ken Njoroge (Kenya) On the fintech frontier
77 – Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya) Concerned creator
78 – Amina J Mohammed (Nigeria) Goal-oriented
79 – Mostafa Terrab (Morocco) Renaissance man of phosphates
80 – Mahmood Mamdani (Uganda) Provocative scholar

81 – Genevieve Nnaji (Nigeria) Ace actress
82 – João Lourenço (Angola) In with the new…
83 – Abdulsamad Rabiu (Nigeria) Cementing progress
84 – Ilhan Omar (Somalia/US) Representative of a new generation
85 – Carlos Lopes (Guinea-Bissau) Pushing policymakers

86 – Simon Njami (Cameroon) Critical curator
87 – Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu (Ghana) Stargazer
88 – Mamadou Biteye (Senegal) Digital donor
89 – Oluseun Onigbinde (Nigeria) Transparent ambition
90 – Issad Rebrab (Algeria) Business baron

91 – Moulay Hafid Elalamy (Morocco) Industrious planner
92 – Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Uganda) Power to the people!
93 – Caster Semenya (South Africa) Pushing forward on and off the track
94 – David Adomakoh (Ghana) Black gold
95 – Clare Akamanzi (Rwanda) Building brand

96 – Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia) Soft spoken soft power
97 – Njideka Akunyili (Nigeria/US) Crosby Million-dollar marvel
98 – Bola Tinubu (Nigeria) Lagos legend
99 – Carlos Saturnino (Angola) Crude prospects
100 – Bridgette Radebe (South Africa) Mining might