Queen NwabuezeThe much-vaunted TIME magazine had unveiled its annual list of the most influential people of 2022.
Released on May 23, the list, categorised the personalities under six heads — Artists, Innovators, Titans, Leaders, Icons and Pioneers.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelA key highlight was that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan was the only female African personality on the list.
Still wondering how TIME create the most influential list, annually?
In its report on how the nineteenth annual list was made, TIME revealed that the only parameter editors of the magazine consider when selecting the names is the influence of a personality.
“Who shaped the year? Who stood up? Who stood out? Influence, of course, maybe for good or for ill—a dichotomy never more visible than in this year’s TIME 100,” noted TIME.
Among the most notable non-African personalities the list features are Oprah Winfrey, Volodymyr Zelensky, Channing Tatum, Zendaya, Adele, Zoë Kravitz, Andrew Garfield, Simu Liu, Kris Jenner, Tim Cook, Ron DeSantis, Rafael Nadal and many more.
Without further ado, here are all the Africans mentioned on the TIME Most Influential People of 2022 list.
Samia Suluhu Hassan – Tanzania
Tanzania’s first female president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was named among the ‘Leaders’ on TIME magazine’s Most Influential People of 2022 list.
Born and raised in Zanzibar Island, Ms Suluhu ascended to the highest office in the land on March 19, 2021, following the death of her predecessor, John Pombe Magufuli. She has appointed more women to her cabinet to lead prominent ministries, including ministries of Health, Tourism and Security.
Ms Ellen Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, remarks that President Samia’s leadership has been a tonic since she took office in March 2021.
“That year has made a big difference to Tanzania. A door has opened for dialogue between political rivals, steps have been taken to rebuild trust in the democratic system, efforts have been made to increase press freedom, and women and girls have a new role model.”
Abiy Ahmed – Ethiopia
Prime Minister Ahmed was recognised for his role in mitigating the strained relations his country has with neighbouring Eritrea, which have resulted in a civil war.
Baker, a TIME senior correspondent, remarks that “Abiy’s peace treaty with Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki inspired hopes for a transformed region and planted the seeds for an Ethiopian civil war,” the magazine says of the Nobel Laureate.
“In March, he declared a truce to allow humanitarian access to the region, which had been blocked for months. But like a previous “humanitarian truce” in June 2021, it appears to be largely strategic, and little real aid has arrived.”
Francis Kéré — Burkina Faso
Kéré was recognised by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people of 2022 for bringing to the world “a different kind of contemporary African architecture.”
Writing for the magazine, Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye described Kéré as a trailblazer for his long-¬standing commitment to ¬formalizing space for both social and environmental good.
“Francis Kéré brings a different kind of contemporary African architecture to the world. The 2022 Pritzker Prize winner has built a career out of making places that exist on the periphery—places that have a transformative impact on how ¬communities and societies see and serve themselves.”
“He is a trailblazer for his long-¬standing commitment to ¬formalizing space for both social and environmental good. In this sense, his legacy lives not just in his built work but also in his general practice and methodological spirit. This is manifest not only in Kéré’s completed buildings—such as a Burkina Faso–based health centre that boasts roofs designed to collect needed rainwater—but in the integrity of his process, which is ¬predicated on knowledge ¬building and knowledge sharing as he works with local communities to inform his creations. His recognition is fully and rightfully deserved.”
Dr Sikhulile Moyo and Professor Tulio de Oliveira
Moyo, a Botswana-based researcher, was named in the 2022 TIME 100 list, along with South African researcher Professor Tulio de Oliveira, for
“leading the multidisciplinary team of researchers and scientists” who discovered the Omicron variant.”
John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote about Moyo and de Oliveira in a May 23, 2022 article in TIME that scientists in Africa have been monitoring and sequencing pathogens before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nkengasong added that “Every generation has people who inspire subsequent generations. Sikhulile and Tulio have the potential to be that for people who will work in public health and genomics. We have not seen the end of their contributions.”
There you have it! Is anyone missing here? Who do you think that should have made the list? Please share your comment with us. Thanks.
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