Dangote, Agric Minister Adesina, make Forbes’ Africa Person of the Year shortlist

Published: October 30,2013

The Minister of Agriculture is the only government official to make the list.

Three members of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Economic Management team were on Tuesday named among several Africans shortlisted for the 2013 Forbes Africa Person of the Year award.

The shortlist released by the United States-based business website, comprised three Nigerians, one South African and one Zimbabwean.

They included Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina, for his vision in making Nigeria a self-sustaining, food-producing nation, which hopes to register over 20 million farmers by 2015; Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, whose net worth has significantly increased on the back of his continued business successes in various sectors of the continent’s economy, including oil and gas, petro-chemicals, transport and haulage, manufacturing and commodities.

Also included are Jim Ovia, who is the Chairman of the Zenith Bank Group, reputed as West Africa’s second largest financial services provider focused on helping grow Africa’s budding ‘techpreneurs’; Strive Masiyiwa, founder of global telecoms group, Econet Wireless, was also shortlisted for using Capernaum Trust to educate tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans, and South African mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe, for his plans to give away more than half his fortune over the next five years.

The awards will be presented in Nairobi, Kenya at the beginning of December this year.

An official voting is also open to the public to make their selection of the individual they deem most worthy of the Person of the Year title.

The Person of the Year Awards celebrate ‘the individual who, for better or worse, has had the most influence on events of the year gone by’ and Forbes Africa has welcomed the participation of the public in what is fast becoming one of the most momentous and anticipated annual events in Africa,” managing editor of Forbes Africa magazine, Chris Bishop, said.

“Every year, we are excited to decide the Forbes Africa Person of the Year. We want to honour the big hitters of the continent who are making a difference in people’s lives and we hope that in doing so, it will inspire others,”