New African, a magazine that covers the continent’s affairs from a pan-African perspective, published at the end of last year its annual list of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2023. The list celebrates the achievements and contributions of Africans from various fields and sectors, spanning a total of eight categories: politics, business, science and academia, creatives, environmental, media and sports. The full list of individuals can be seen here: https://100.newafricanmagazine.com/
The Business category featured 23 entries, the second-most populous section of the list. It acknowledges the contribution of African entrepreneurs, industrialists and business figures to the continent’s economic and cultural landscape.
Most Influential Africans 2023: Business Category
Click the photographs to view their profiles.
André De Ruyter
Former Chief Executive Officer at Eskom
Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors at African Export–Import Bank
Riham ElGizy
Chief Executive Officer at Voluntary Carbon Market
Samaila Zubairu
President & Chief Executive Officer at Africa Finance Corporation
Simon Tiemtoré
Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Lilium Capital and Group Chairman at Vista Bank Group
Ham Serunjogi
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Chipper Cash
Karim Beguir
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at InstaDeep
Ralph Mupita
President & Chief Executive Officer at MTN Group
Aliko Dangote
Founder and President at Dangote Group,
Mohamed Kande
Vice Chair at PwC US and Global Advisory Leader at PwC
Ibrahim Sagna
Executive Chairman at Silverbacks Holdings
Shola Akinlade
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Paystack
Serge Ekué
President at West African Development Bank (BOAD)
Jules Ngankam
Group Chief Executive Officer at African Guarantee Fund
Hassanein Hiridjee
Chief Executive Officer at Axian Group
Sim Tshabalala
Group Chief Executive Officer at Standard Bank Group
Bernard Koné Dossongui
Founder at Atlantic Financial Group (AFG)
Coura Sène
West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Regional Director at Wave Mobile Money
Pascal Agboyibor
Partner at ASAFO & CO
Olugbenga Agboola
Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Flutterwave
James Mwangi
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Equity Group Holdings plc
Profiles
Didier Acouetey
Fitting seekers to jobs
Demographic trends suggest that Africa could well become the human resource capital of the world, with more working-age people than anywhere else by the turn of the century. The role of entrepreneurs like Didier Acouetey seems set to become even more critical. Acouetey’s AfricSearch Group is one of the few elite recruitment and human resource consulting groups in the continent, with a presence in over 50 countries through its partnership with the Alexander Hughes Group. Connecting jobseekers to opportunities and ensuring that employers find the right fit is one thing but Acouetey’s impact stretches far beyond that as a mentor, adviser and changemaker. He is active in several think-tanks and one of the founders of the Youth Excellence Programme, dedicated to building a corps of young African leaders. In 2014 he launched the inaugural African SME Financing Forum, in collaboration with leading DFIs bringing a cohesive approach to really supporting this ecosystem. He also co-founded, in 2012, the first Africa—South East Asia Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. A graduate of the Arts et Métiers school and ESCP EAP Business School, both in France, Acouetey believes strongly in the role of private enterprise to catalyse growth. Through his work and his advocacy, he is contributing to building this thriving private sector.
Bahija Jallal
Directed cancer medication breakthrough
Bahija Jallal is the CEO of the Oxford, UK-based Immunocore. The biotech has pioneered a drug that works with the body’s own ‘soldiers’, its T-cells, to fight some of the most difficult-to- cure maladies including cancers, HIV and other infectious and autoimmune diseases. The implications are colossal. But none of this might have been possible without the extraordinary leadership of Jallal, who took over as CEO of the ailing company in 2019. Earlier she had overseen the development of cancer medication with global organisations such as AstraZeneca. Immunocore had top-class science, but also governance issues, and could no longer raise much-needed finance. In less than two years she had restructured the company, raised all the finance needed, and in 2023 oversaw the first successful approval of its main drug. This is seen as one of the greatest turnarounds in the biotech industry’s history. Today the company has gone public and is working on several other critical medications. Jallal, born in Morocco, lost her father at a young age but her mother, who remains her hero, made sure she got an excellent education. She studied at the Université de Paris VI and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany. Her other hero is the late Nelson Mandela, whom she describes as a ‘powerful but humble leader’.
André De Ruyter
Exposing skeletons in the cupboard
As residents and visitors know all too well, South Africa continues to suffer power cuts that cripple businesses, the public sector and families alike. So when respected businessman André de Ruyter was appointed CEO of troubled state power company Eskom in late 2019 there was hope that he would finally be able to clean the Augean stables and get power production back on track. His time in charge highlighted the deep malaise and ingrained corruption of the post-apartheid state. His resignation from the utility was announced in 2022, but it was not until a year later that the dramatic story of his time in office emerged in lurid detail. He claimed that he had been thwarted at every turn by vested interests in the government, and estimated that Eskom is losing well over $55m a month through theft. In January 2023, de Ruyter alleged that he survived an attempt to poison him with cyanide. It was a depressing story, and one that is detailed at length in his compelling memoir, Truth to Power: My Three Years in Eskom. Whether his attempt to blow the whistle will have any long-term impact on either government corruption or the broken power sector remains to be seen: but his tale adds weight to the saying that ‘democracy dies in darkness’.