Career
Tems, Ayra Starr, Asisat Oshoala, Blessing Abeng, Khloe Abiri named in Forbes Africa’s ’30 Under 30′
Forbes Africa has released its annual 30 Under 30 list, which celebrates the achievements of exceptional young entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders under the age of 30.
Dubbed “The Newest Self-Made Young Innovators and Leaders Scripting a New Vision for Africa,” this year’s list recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of 30 “multi-tasking multi-hyphenate entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders” who are driving Africa’s progress on their own terms. The list features Tems, Ayra Starr, Asisat Oshoala, Blessing Joel Abeng, and Khloe ‘Koko’ Abiri.
The finalists were selected from a pool of over a thousand applicants, which included former Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 alumni, an editorial team led by Under 30 curator Chanel Retief, as well as a panel of independent external judges and subject-matter experts. The rigorous selection process considered factors such as innovation, scalability, social impact, and overall contribution to the development of Africa.
“In a post-pandemic Africa, everything is evolving all over again; everything is a work in progress. That was evident in the pool of talent we received… because here is a young batch of people completely cognizant of the changes the continent is going through and who are coming up with ideas and solutions for some of these very new problems. There are also problems that have been around for a long, and they are now trying to tackle them quickly. I think the speed with which they are trying to execute some of these ideas is what we need to highlight. They are also building their own brand and changing the image of the continent,” says Renuka Methil, Managing Editor of Forbes Africa.
And the class of 2023 are:
• Dr Wedu Tose Somolekae, 29, Botswana – Founder, Medi-Glow Aesthetics
– Industry: Aesthetic medicine
• Khethokuhle ‘Kay Yarms’ Ngonyama, 29, South Africa – Beauty Influencer
– Industry: Content creation
• Koaile Monaheng, 29, Lesotho – Associate Director and Shareholder, Khantša Energy
– Industry: Renewable Energy
• Mutethia Mbaabu, 29, Kenya – Co-founder and CEO, MarketForce
– Industry: E-Commerce
• Oluwabusayo Victoria Abiri, 29, Nigeria – Founder and CEO, Koko By Khloe
– Industry: Beauty and Skincare
• Rosalia Nghitalesheni Joseph, 28, Namibia – Regional Coordinator, Women in Vector Control (WIVC), Central
and Southern Africa
– Industry: Medical entomologist/public researcher
• Temilade Openiyi / ‘Tems’, 27, Nigeria – Singer-songwriter
– Industry: Music and Entertainment
• Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe / ‘Ayra Starr’, 20, Benin/Nigeria – Singer
– Industry: Music and Entertainment
• Dr Olivier Uwishema, 29, Rwanda – Founder, Oli Health Magazine Organization (OHMO)
– Industry: Medicine/Research
• Lethabo ‘Focalistic’ Sebetso, 26, South Africa – Rapper
– Industry: Music and Entertainment
• Joel Embiid, 29, Cameroon – Center for Philadelphia 76ers National Basketball Association
– Industry: Professional Basketball Player
• Nompumelelo ‘Mpoomy’ Ledwaba, 29, South Africa – Entrepreneur/Digital Creator
– Industry: Digital Marketing
• Yvette Ishimwe, 25, Rwanda – Founder and CEO, Iriba Water Group
– Industry: Water Solutions
• Hansel Ndu Okeke, 28, Nigeria – Co-founder and CEO, Weevil Company
– Industry: Technology
• Germain Ndu-Okeke, 24, Nigeria – Co-founder and Chief Operation Officer, Weevil Company
– Industry: Technology
• Asisat Oshoala, 28, Nigeria – Striker for Spanish Liga F club FC Barcelona and the Nigeria women’s national
team
– Industry: Professional Footballer
• Jacques Jordaan, 27, South Africa – Co-founder and Director, Specno
– Industry: Entrepreneur/Technology
• Blessing Joel Abeng, 28, Nigeria – Co-founder and Director of Communications, Ingressive For Good
– Industry: Branding and Communications
• Jessica Mshama, 27, Tanzania – Founder and CEO, Nakua Na Taifa Langu, Director of Assumpter Digital
Schools
– Industry: Entrepreneur/Social Impact
• Dricus ‘Still Knocks’ du Plessis, 29, South Africa – Professional mixed martial artist in the Middleweight division
of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
– Industry: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
• Isaack Damian Buhiye, 28, Tanzania – CEO, Firm 23 Limited
– Industry: Digital Enterprise Solutions
• Emmanuel Whajah, 29, Ghana – Creative Director, Videographer and owner of Emzy Production Films
– Industry: Film and entertainment
• Cheslin Denman, 29, South Africa – Managing Director and Co-Founder, Trustlink Africa Hub
– Industry: Fintech
• Mhlengi Mluleki Ngcobo, 28, South Africa – Founder and CEO, CoffeeMM
– Industry: Agriculture
• Talifhani Tshitwamulomoni, 29, South Africa – Chief Operation Officer, Green Development Foundation
– Industry: Sustainability
• Cody Gordon, 26, South Africa – Co-founder and CEO, CG Technology Group (be frank, Constructive Candor
and It’sOk)
– Industry: Mental Health Technology
• Thembi Kgatlana, 26, South Africa – A Forward for NWSL club Racing Louisville FC and South Africa
women’s national team
– Industry: Professional Football
• Mohammed Kudus, 22, Ghana – Attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Ghana national team
– Industry: Professional Football
• Sharva Hassamal, 29, Mauritius – Founder, Portage Labs
– Industry: Information Technology
• Alessandrio Bergman, 29, South Africa – Founder, SYNC Model Management
– Industry: Fashion and Marketing
