Here is
Forbes new list for The 10 Most Powerful Men in Africa 2014. Read and be inspired.
January Makamba, Tanzania, Deputy Minister of Communication, Science & Technology and Member of Parliament
Makamba
is one of Tanzania‘s rising stars in government. He is currently the
Deputy Minister of Communication, Science and Technology and is rumored
to run for President in 2015. Makamba is a Member of Parliament for
Bumbuli constituency in the National Assembly of Tanzania. Before
running for the Bumbuli parliamentary seat, Makamba was aide to
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete for 5 years. Named Young Global
Leader class of 2012 by the World Economic Forum, Makamba comes from a
political family; his father, Yusuf Makamba was Secretary General of the
ruling CCM party under Julius Nyerere.
Chinedu Echeruo, Nigeria, Tech Entrepreneur & Founder of Hopstop.com and Tripology.com
Echeruo
is a Tech entrepreneur and founder of HopStop.com which he reportedly
sold to Apple in the “billion” dollar range. HopStop.com is a mobile and
online application that provides mass transit directions door-to-door
mass transit, taxi, walking, biking and hourly car rental directions in
major metropolitan markets throughout the U.S., Canada, U.K, France,
Australia, New Zealand and Russia. In 2001, HopStop was named one of the
100 fastest growing companies in the US by Inc. magazine. Chinedu also
founded Tripology.com, an interactive travel referral service focused on
connecting travelers with travel specialists which was later acquired
by USA Today Travel Media Group. Echeruo obtained an M.B.A. from Harvard
Business School and a B.S from Syracuse University.
Mohammed Dewji, Tanzania, Group Chief Executive Officer of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited
Dewji
is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania
Limited (MeTL) and at 39 is the youngest member of the Forbes’ Africa’s
50 Richest list with an estimated networth of USD $500 million. The MeTL
Group began as a family business, a small trading company which
Mohammed transformed into one of the largest industrial conglomerates
in East Africa, with interests ranging from real estate, agriculture,
finance, distribution and manufacturing. The company employs more than
24,000 people across Tanzania and according to Dewji, generates annual
revenues of USD$1.3 billion. Dewji has been a Member of Parliament in
the National Assembly of Tanzania since 2005. Dewji graduated from
Georgetown University with a degree in International Business and
Finance with a minor in Theology.
Kola Karim, Nigeria, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Shoreline Energy International
Karim
is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Shoreline
Energy International, a Nigerian conglomerate with interests that span
oil & gas, power generation, engineering, commodities trading,
infrastructure and construction across sub-Saharan Africa. In 2012,
Shoreline Energy partnered with U.K-based Heritage Oil in acquiring a
stake in OML 30, an oilfield asset in Nigeria for a reported $850
million. An avid polo player, Karim was named Young Global Leader class
of 2008 by the World Economic Forum.
Ashish Thakkar, Uganda, Founder and Managing Director of Mara Group, Mara Foundation and Mara Online
Thakkar
is the Founder and Managing Director of Mara Group, a diversified
conglomerate with approximately USD $100 million in revenues, according
to Thakkar. The group operates in operates in 19 of the 46 sub-Saharan
African nations, as well as in India and the United Arab Emirates.
Headquartered in Dubai, Mara Group participates in sectors ranging from
financial services, information and communications technology, renewable
energy, real estate and tourism. Thakkar also launched Mara Online, a
portfolio of online and mobile platforms that allow users to
communicate, interact and collaborate with each other. The serial
entrepreneur also serves on the advisory panels to the Presidents of
Tanzania and Uganda and runs Mara Foundation, a social enterprise that
mentors young African entrepreneurs. He signed up for Virgin Galactic‘s
first mission to space.
Mamadou Toure, Cameroon, Founder and Executive Director of Africa 2.0
Toure
is the founder and Executive Director of Africa 2.0, an advocacy group
of young and emerging leaders from across the continent and the diaspora
who have a collective vision for Africa. The vision of the pan-African
organization is finding sustainable solutions to the most pressing
economic and social issues Africans face today. As the Managing Director
with GE Africa, Toure leads a regional Capital Markets team across
Sub-Saharan Africa and is also responsible for developing market and
competitors’ analysis across the region. Toure received a distinction as
“New Leader for Tomorrow” by the Crans Montana Forum in 2011.
Amadou Mahtar Ba, Senegal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the African Media Initiative
Mahtar
Ba is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the African Media
Initiative (AMI), a pan-African organization aimed at strengthening the
media sector in Africa. Ba is also a co-founder and Chairman of
AllAfrica Global Media, Inc – owner and operator of AllAfrica.com, one
of the largest distributor of African news and information worldwide.
For three years in a row, Mahtar Ba has been selected as one of the 100
Most Influential Africans by the New African Magazine, in 2011, 2012 and
2013 respectively. He was also listed in the top 500 Africans
contributing to the rise of the continent by the Africa24 magazine
published in March, 2011.
Simdul Shagaya, Nigeria – Tech Entrepreneur and Founder of Konga.com and DealDey.com
Shagaya
is the founder and CEO of Konga.com, Nigeria’s largest online shopping
portal and DealDey spinoff site. Konga.com, Africa’s answer to
Amazon.com, is an e-commerce platform that sells goods and services
directly to consumers. Shagaya is also the founder & Executive
Chairman of DealDey Limited, which offers services and products at
discounted prices. In 2013 Shagaya won the All Africa Business Leaders
Awards’ Entrepreneur of the Year award. HumanIPO selected Konga.com as
one of the African technology startups of 2013. Shagaya is a graduate of
George Washington University, Dartmouth College and holds an M.B.A.
from Harvard Business School.
Ben Magara, Zimbabwe, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Lonmin
Recently
appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Lonmin,
the world’s third-largest platinum mining company, Magara is tasked with
improving industrial relations and guiding the platinum miner’s
turnaround strategy after strikes last year triggered violence which
killed 46 people including 34 strikers shot dead by police in a single
day at its Marikana mine. With a mining career that spans 26 years,
Magara was previously the Chief Executive Officer of Anglo Coal South
Africa responsible for Anglo American total coal business in South
Africa and revenues of around USD $2 billion. Magara, who speaks seven
languages, has a degree in Mining Engineering from the University of
Zimbabwe.
Komla Dumor, Ghana, Lead Presenter on “Focus On Africa” and BBC World News’ European morning segment
In
memoriam. The highly-respected presenter of “Focus on Africa”, BBC’s
flagship and first-ever dedicated daily TV news show on BBC World News
died of cardiac arrest on January 18 earlier this year at his home in
London. Dumor, who was named one of “100 Most Influential Africans” in
2013 by New African magazine, had “established himself as one of the
emerging African faces of global broadcasting.”As a lead presenter for
BBC World, Dumor had considerable influence on how the continent is
covered.
He
leaves behind a powerful and enduring legacy; how the continent is
reported. “There’s so much more to tell about Africa than the usual
stories about war, famine and disease.”
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