The 100 most influential Africans (81-90)

81 – Genevieve Nnaji
Ace actress
Nigeria

The veteran acting star made her directorial debut last year with Lionheart, in which she starred and which was streaming service Netflix’s first original Nigerian film. Nollywood watchers say that she is in talks with Hollywood studios in order to break into the US market.

Thank you everyone for accepting #lionheartthemovie into your homes and your hearts. Worldwide. ❤️
This is how we change the narrative.Together.
Let us continue to bridge the gap. 🌍 pic.twitter.com/QSJYblIF6n

— Genevieve Nnaji MFR (@GenevieveNnaji1) January 8, 2019

82 – João Lourenço
In with the new…
Angola

Angola’s new broom is still sweeping away the remnants of the corrupt previous regime, but will he be able to give the country a clean slate? The jury is out on that, and the ruling MPLA seems too intent on maintaining its iron grip to allow much transparency or free political competition. There is still a lot of hard work to be done to put the oil-dependent economy on sounder footing, so there are plenty more challenges that will show if JLo is up to the task of ringing in an new era.

83 – Abdulsamad Rabiu
Cementing progress
Nigeria

The merger of Kalambaina Cement and the Cement Company of Nigeria this year makes Rabiu’s BUA Cement the second-largest cement manufacturer in Nigeria. BUA is planning a new production line for its base of operations in Sokoto. Rabiu is also investing big in sectors where he thinks Nigerian firms should outperform imports, like sugar and steel. If his big bets pay off, he will soon be climbing the ranks of Nigeria’s rich list.

84 – Ilhan Omar
Representative of a new generation
Somalia/US

When she became the first Somali-American elected to the House of Representatives last year, Omar joined an incoming class with outspoken young women pushing progressive ideas in Congress and on social media. After some initial stumbles talking about the relationship between Washington and Israel, she was one of the first representatives to sign a pledge to impeach President Donald Trump. While she wants to score points against the Republicans in Washington, her Minnesota constituents will be looking for her to score points at home before the next election.

This country was founded on the ideas of justice, of liberty, of the pursuit of happiness. But these core beliefs are under threat. Each and every day. We are under threat by an administration that would rather cage children than pass comprehensive immigration reform.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 13, 2019

85 – Carlos Lopes
Pushing policy makers
Guinea-Bissau

Africa needs more intellectual leaders. Economist Carlos Lopes fits the bill. The former head of the United Nations Economic Commission on Africa is now teaching about governance at the University of Cape Town. After his work pushing the continental free trade area, he has turned to how a ‘New Green Deal’, might be applied in Africa, trying to push policy makers on how to adapt to climate change and drive industrialisation at the same time.

Either you reform or you will have to go. Africans want development to happen fast and have little patience for apathy. https://t.co/3r058kOEd1

— Carlos Lopes (@LopesInsights) April 11, 2019

86 – Simon Njami
Critical curator
Cameroon

Njami, a writer and curator, is a forceful voice at the forefront of African art. He argues foremost for its power, telling an interviewer: “The Dakar biennale does ten times more than the pseudo African Union for African integration.” Njami was the chief curator of the Dak’Art Biennale in 2016 and 2018 while editing the Revue Noire, which he founded. He is a sceptic about Western promises to return looted and other ill-gotten African art.

87 – Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu
Star gazer
Ghana

“Humans always look to the heavens to gain knowledge and use that knowledge to make life a little better,” Trebi-Ollennu told CNN. The Ghanaian robotics expert managed the team that designed an arm for the InSight rover that landed on Mars in late 2018 so that it can bring back samples that will allow scientists to study how planets are formed. Through the Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation, he is sharing his love of science and exploration with a new generation of those with stars in their eyes.

88 – Mamadou Biteye
Digital donor
Senegal

Backing the creation of digital jobs on the continent and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa head is overseeing the channelling of crucial resources to priority areas. The Coding for Employment Programme, managed by the AfDB and funded by philanthropists and tech companies, is setting up 130 coding training outfits so that more African young people will have the skills needed for the jobs of the future.

89 – Oluseun Onigbinde
Transparent ambition
Nigeria

You might think it would be hard to have transparency gain traction in Nigeria, but the founder of NGO BudgIT does not back down from tough challenges. His drive to hold the government accountable and to get information into the public’s hands has helped put pressure on recalcitrant politicians in Abuja and throughout Nigeria. Now an Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University, he is aiming to return to Nigeria this year with new projects in mind and tools at hand.

Things like Audit Bill should not be an advocacy point. It’s no-brainer if govt is really serious in fighting corruption.

However, it takes a certain level of competence to fight corruption.

— Olúseun Onígbińdé (@seunonigbinde) April 28, 2019

90 – Issad Rebrab
Business baron
Algeria

Despite being outside the orbit of Algeria’s heavy backing for state-owned industry, Rebrab has become a billionaire and one of the continent’s richest men. And to boot, his company Cevital mostly steers clear of the rich oil and gas sector, instead focusing on agribusiness and consumer goods. Rebrab is not only looking at his home market, but announced last year that one of Cevital’s companies will invest in a factory to produce water filtration devices in France.