AFRICA’S MEDAL HOPEFULS AT THE 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES.



Africa will be striving to come back from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with precious metals in their pocket in the form of gold, silver and bronze. The Games will be staged from July 26 to August 11 and among the 10,500 athletes taking part, there are many from the African continent who will be genuine medal contenders. We select 10 who could be on the podium in Paris.



JOSHUA CHEPTEGEI • UGANDA


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The 27-year-old took gold in the 5,000 meters and silver in the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Games three years ago and has maintained that form since, espe- cially at the longer distance where he remains ranked at number one in the world. He won the gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year, always a strong indicator for Olympic form. He holds the world record over both distances.



PIETER COETZE • SOUTH AFRICA


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Coetze recently turned 20 and is the rising star of South African swimming after claiming fivegold medals at the national swimming championships in April. He has qualified for the 100-meters and 200-meters back- stroke in Paris having claimed gold (100 meters), silver (50 meters) and bronze (200 meters) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and secured another bronzein the 200 meters at this year’s World Aquatic Championships in Doha. He will hope for a podium place at the Olympics.



SOUFIANE EL BAKKALI • MOROCCO


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The Moroccan is the 3,000-meter steeplechase Olympic champion, having claimed gold in Tokyo and with wins in the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, will be the overwhelming favourite to repeat that feat. He also competed in the 1,500 meters in Tokyo but did not finish the race and is unlikely to attempt that experiment again, concentrating only on his pre- ferred event. His biggest rival is the Ethiopian Lamecha Girma, who set a new world record time of 7:52.11 in 2023.



VICTOR KIPLANGAT • UGANDA


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The 24-year-old won gold in the marathon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and at the World Championships in Budapest last year, so is the form runner in the men’s event. His win at the Common- wealth Games came despite him taking a wrong turn near the end of the race. The tragic death of world record holder Kelvin Kiptum in a car accident in February this year makes his training partner Kiplan- gat a favorite in Paris, though there is no shortage of competition in this event.



FAITH KIPYEGON • KENYA


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Kipyegon is a double Olympic 1,500-me- ters champion having won gold in 2016 and 2020, and showed she is as fast as ever ater seting a new world re- cord of 3:49.11 in 2023. She also claimed 5,000-meters gold at the World Champi- onships last year and at the age of 30, is in the form of her life. There is no word on whether she will tackle the 5,000 meters in Paris, but broke the world record over that distance in the French capital last year, though her mark has since been lowered by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay.



TATJANA SMITH • SOUTH AFRICA


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The South African 100-meters and 200-meters breaststroke queen has a new surname these days following her marriage to Joel Smith, the brother of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi’s wife Rachel. The 26-year-old has had a tough 2024 with injury but has booked her place in Paris and will look to add to her Olympic medals tally ater gold in the 200 meters and silver in the 100 meters in Tokyo. She remains one of South Africa’s best medal hopes in Paris.



LETSILE TEBOGO • BOTSWANA


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The 20-year-old sprinter claimed the silver medal in the 100 meters at the World Championships last year in a rapid time of 9.88 seconds, and also took bronze in the 200 meters. He is in a hugely competi- tive ield, but is seen as one of the best up-and-coming sprinters in the world. Could these Games come too soon for him? Perhaps, but he will certainly be one to watch in the glamor event at the Olympics.



GUDAF TSEGAY • ETHIOPIA


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Tsegay took bronze in the 5,000 meters in Tokyo, but will be looking for much more than that this time round having set a new world record just last year. She also claimed the gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the World Champion- ships in Budapest and was 2023 Diamond League champion for over 5,000. Just to show her all-round capabilities, she is also record holder indoors for the 1,500 meters. She will likely race over 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in Paris.



EMMANUEL WANYONYI• KENYA


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At just 19 years of age, Wanyonyi is a relatively new name on the circuit, but he has been making waves and claimed a silver medal at last year’s World Championships to go with gold as 2023 Diamond League champion. Canadian Marco Arop is his big rival and it is likely they will take the top two places on the podium, though in what order we don’t know.



HUGUES FABRICE ZANGO• BURKINA FASO


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Zango won bronze in Tokyo, but his form in the triple jump has improved immea- surably since then and he is perhaps a favorite for gold in Paris. He won irst prize at the World Championships and was rated number one in 2023, having also taken gold at the World Indoor Championships, seting himself up as the man to beat.

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The List: African Sports Stars Likely To Take The Top Places On The Olympics Podium

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Khabane “Khaby” Lame, a TikTok user known for his videos silently mocking absurd “life hack” clips, is the most followed TikToker through the first half of this year with over 162 million followers—putting him about 7 million over second-place Charli D’Amelio.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Lame—who was named No. 11 on last year’s Forbes Top Creators list—is a Senegalese-Italian social media personality who rose to popularity on the app after he began duetting and stitching life hack videos and highlighting their complicated nature.



Lame has been the most followed TikToker since 2022, when he passed D’Amelio—who grew to fame for dancing videos and has since become a fashion and lifestyle influencer as well.



Since last July, Lame has added about 2 million followers on TikTok, according to data from SocialBlade, a data analytics site tracking social media followings—but D’Amelio has added about 4.3 million, helping her close the gap.



The top five most followed haven’t changed much since <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/07/03/khaby-lame-known-for-mocking-life-hacks-top-tiktoker-of-2023/">this time last year</a>, when Lame and D’Amelio still held the top spots, though the bottom three positions have shifted around with Mr. Beast moving up two spots, Bella Poarch moving up two spots and Addison Rae dropping to fifth place.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



Though he is the most followed TikToker, Lame isn’t really near the top in terms of most likes on the app. He places 26th in that category with 2.4 billion likes, according to SocialBlade, and D’Amelio holds the title of No. 1 with 11.7 billion likes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$16.5 million. That’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2023/09/26/how-top-creator-khaby-lame-became-tiktoks-most-popular-influencer/#:~:text=For%20Lame%2C%20silence%20has%20been,a%20TikTok%20and%20Instagram%20post.">Forbes’ estimate</a> for Lame’s earnings from June 2022 to September 2023. In September, Lame was getting around $750,000 to highlight a product in a TikTok and Instagram post.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TOP 5 MOST FOLLOWED TIKTOK USERS (AS OF JUNE 30)</h2>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Khaby Lame: 162,600,000</li>



<li>Charli D’Amelio: ​​155,400,000</li>



<li>MrBeast: 96,900,000</li>



<li>Bella Poarch: 94,200,000</li>



<li>Addison Rae: 88,800,000</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Lame grew his following without ever saying a word, focusing his short videos instead on silent critiques of other posts as opposed to sharing his life experiences, which is how many other creators have found success on the app. Lame began using TikTok after he was laid off from his factory job in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2023/09/26/how-top-creator-khaby-lame-became-tiktoks-most-popular-influencer/">interview with Forbes</a>&nbsp;last year after he was named one of the magazine’s top creators, Lame said when he first started making videos people told him to get “a proper job … but I continued to make videos because that’s what I like doing, even though no one was watching them.” Now that people are watching him, he has raked in a number of partnerships, working with major companies and stars. Lame has been in TikToks with Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, been in a Super Bowl commercial and taken penalty kicks with David Beckham. He has also branched out from TikTok and debuted a short film, “I Am Khabane,” which documents his story of finding success online, at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy last summer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



TikTok is currently facing a ban in the U.S. after President Joe Biden signed a law requiring its China-based parent company ByteDance to sell it before Jan. 19, 2025 or be banned. TikTok and a group of users are in the process of appealing the law, arguing that it violates the First Amendment and would stop a way of communicating that has become “part of American life.” A federal appeals court is set to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2024/06/17/court-will-weigh-possible-tiktok-ban-just-weeks-before-presidential-election/">hear arguments</a>&nbsp;in the case in September, just four months before the ban or sale is required.

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From fintech to foodtech solutions; from beauty brands to biotech infusions, FORBES AFRICA’s inaugural list of Small Giants across Africa showcases the tenacity of homegrown businesses and their impact on the communities they serve. Their pan-African CEO-founders and leaders are making giant strides in progressing Africa’s growth narrative, prioritizing ideas and innovation.



By Chanel Retief, Nicole Pillay and Oluwatomisin Amokeoja Art Direction: Manelisi Dabata Photography: Katlego Mokubyane ; Assistant: Sbusiso Sigidi | Studio: NewKatz Studio, Johannesburg Styling: Deneal Van Wyk Hair &amp; Makeup: SnehhOnline Beauty



The mark of a good business often relies on three Ps: profit, people and planet. It’s hard to say which ‘P’ should be prioritized but as the companies on our first cohort of impactful Small Giants will attest, people, be they employees, managers or customers, can make all the difference. Second to that is the ‘proudly African’ thread that has been woven through each of these businesses. The Small Giants are the businesses that believe small is better, and purpose as important as profit, and most times, even more. They are drawn from the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector in Africa that’s a sizeable mass, incorporated in the formal and informal economies.



In the 2023 Mastercard SME Confidence Index, the World Bank notes that SMEs account for 60% of jobs in Africa. However, they operate in cash-based economies and face a $330 billion financing gap. A 2022 African Union Development Agency report supports this, indicating that SMEs account for closer to 80% of jobs in Africa. These statistics reinforce SMEs as a significant mechanism for socio-economic growth.



StatsSA reported that industries in South Africa’s formal business sector, in particular, generated ZAR10.5 trillion ($677.42 billion) in total turnover in the 2019 financial year. The report further stipulated that the breakdown of turnover by business size shows that small businesses were responsible for generating ZAR2.3 trillion ($148.39 billion) of the ZAR10.5 trillion.



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To complement our research in compiling this list, we spoke to several of these small businesses, and a significant aspect of the discussion to determine scale revolved around financial revenues, but unsurprisingly, there was a common reluctance among the majority of the firms to share this data.



Carl Wazen, co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Yoco, a growing fintech company in South Africa, reasons that this could have to do with companies “keeping their heads down and focusing, and not having a lot of time to make a noise”, whilst the other aspect is cultural.



“You have different cultural nuances [in Africa],” Wazen says, also alluding to the more mature markets such as the United States (U.S.) where this may not be so. “The U.S. is a lot more comfortable talking about money or talking about milestones, whereas, in Europe, money is maybe more taboo there than it is in the U.S.”



Andrew Amoils, Head of Research at New World Wealth, a South Africa-based global wealth intelligence firm, offers another view, indicating that most of the time, no matter where, people are not quite open about speaking about their billions or millions.



“It’s not unique to Africa,” Amoils says. “I guess some people feel like you’re kind of putting a target on [their] back and [that] can affect the way they [talk about money]&#8230; only a few countries (the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia) have pretty transparent information.”



For those looking, there are enough studies and reports indicating the actual picture of wealth on the African continent. The total investable wealth currently held in Africa amounts to $2.5 trillion and its millionaire population is set to rise by 65% over the next 10 years, ac-cording to the 2024 Africa Wealth Report, published by international wealth advisory firm, Henley &amp; Partners.



“Future growth should [be] fueled by strong growth in fast-growing sectors such as fintech, eco-tourism, business process outsourcing, software development, rare metals mining, green tech, media and entertainment, and wealth management,” Amoils adds.



There has been global advancement in fostering gender diversity within leadership roles. However, when determining and understanding the spaces taken up by the titans in small business, FORBES AFRICA’s research led to more male founders, leaders, and C-suite executives, hence the preponderance of one gender over the other in our list of Africa’s Small Giants. This shows that progress comes with caveats. LinkedIn’s 2024 data indicates that the representation of women drops to 25% in C-suite positions on average, compared to 46% in entry-level positions.



The World Economic Forum reported in 2023 that women constitute 58% of self-employment across Africa, and contribute approximately 13% of Africa’s total GDP. However, many women still find themselves working a lot harder to be heard or seen by potential investors as well as colleagues. The female powerhouses on our inaugural Small Giants list attest to this reality, hands down.



“Being a woman in business, in general, is quite difficult,” says Tasneem Karodia, the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Newform Foods. “I come from a career in corporate, and that has its own challenges. I started quite young working in consulting, and had to be faced with a lot of top executives from big companies.”



“I’m an entrepreneur, and I don’t really take no for an answer,” offers Delia Stirling, founder of Grove and Meadow and Commercial Director at Brown’s Food Company. “I just wouldn’t tolerate somebody not working with me because I [am] a woman. I think it’s that perseverance that you have to have&#8230; When I work with anybody, they can feel the passion and understand where I’m coming from.”



“I was very used to being the only woman at the table,” Claire Blanckenberg, founder and CEO, Reel Gardening, tells FORBES AFRICA. “And I just kind of put my head down and claimed my seat at the table without asking for permission.” What remains steadfast as a theme on this list is the priority to showcase businesses that are African, with a proudly African mindset.



From a community-focused food-processing company or a sneaker brand that is uniquely recognizable for its mesh material to a female-led enterprise known globally as a pioneer in the tea industry, these businesses are small in scale but big on ideas and impact. For these businesses, it’s not about reaching three-comma numbers when it comes to revenues or fortunes, but rather, about honoring their unflinching belief that success can have a whole different definition in creating meaningful futures, for all.



METHODOLOGY



Africa is rich with opportunities and possibilities, as evidenced by this list, which is but only a small representation or subset of the growing, thriving small business sector on the continent. From across Africa, the FORBES AFRICA editorial team looked at businesses that were at least five years old this year, were privately-held, had sound business models and were profitable. Our research led us to finding the local heroes in their communities. We called for nominations, which gave founders an opportunity to put forth the names of their enterprises. To gain deeper insight into their impact-driven models, we interviewed the founders/directors/CEOs with one key question: what makes your business homegrown and proudly African? To determine their scale of success, we looked at metrics such as self-preservation, sustainability, community engagement, innovation and value-creation. While this unranked list of 25 local businesses captures the versatility of industries on the continent, purpose remains a common priority for each of these Small Giants.



Editor’s Note: The list on these pages follows no particular order. 



Download your copy now to find out who is on our #SmallGiants List by<a href="https://shop.forbesafrica.com/product/single-digital-issue-june-july-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> clicking here</a>

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Decoding types, machine learning, ethics, and the thrilling future of AI.



Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to revolutionize various domains. This article delves into insights provided by Professor Ritesh Ajoodha from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and Reinard Mortlock, Founder and CEO of LIVEX, on the main types of AI, the role of machine learning, ethical considerations, job displacement, current limitations, and promising future advancements.



Types of AI and their strengths and limitations



According to Ajoodha, two prominent approaches in AI are deep learning and probabilistic approaches. Deep learning, although highly effective, is often considered a black-box method due to its enigmatic decision-making processes. It poses ethical concerns in fields like medicine, where explainability and transparency are crucial. On the other hand, probabilistic approaches, based on probability theory, offer transparency and allow for a clear understanding of the decision-making process. They are particularly suitable for applications with optimization problems and simpler business scenarios.



Machine learning&#8217;s contribution to AI development



Machine learning plays a vital role encompassing data analytics, leveraging big data for various analyses. Machine learning algorithms enable relevant product recommendations based on user preferences and search history. Additionally, machine learning aids in extrapolating data for AI models, detecting anomalies for fraud prevention, and holds significant potential for numerous other applications.



Ethical considerations in AI implementation



Both Ajoodha and Mortlock highlight the importance of ethical considerations in AI implementation. As AI technology evolves, regulations and constraints become necessary to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability. Without proper regulation, AI systems, especially black-box models, can pose challenges regarding decision-making processes, data sanitization, and maintenance. Establishing regulations that promote disclosure and transparency is crucial for addressing ethical concerns.



Potential risks and benefits of AI in job displacement



Mortlock emphasizes that AI, particularly generative AI, is still in its early stages and cannot replace human input and evaluation. While content generation and automation may increase, complex tasks requiring human judgement and creativity remain unaffected. Rather than causing job losses, AI models have the potential to create new job opportunities, especially in fields that facilitate AI development.



Current limitations and future advancements in AI research



Globally, AI research has received substantial support and funding, leading to advancements in hardware capabilities and computational power. However, bottlenecks persist, particularly in regions with limited AI backing, such as some African countries. Nonetheless, promising advancements are anticipated, particularly in healthcare, finance, and risk management. AI&#8217;s potential in cancer detection, early diagnosis, fraud detection, and enhanced number-crunching holds great promise for future advancements.



AI continues to evolve and reshape various industries, presenting both opportunities and challenges. While generative AI and machine learning algorithms offer valuable capabilities, ethical considerations must be addressed to ensure transparency and fairness. The ongoing advancements in AI research, coupled with proper regulation and ethical frameworks, can pave the way for a future where AI positively impacts society while minimizing risks.

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AI Unleashed: Five Facts From African Experts

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The 50 Over 50 List Of Africa’s Female Powerhouses

75| FORMER JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AND PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) AT THE HAGUE| KENYA



By Marie Shabaya



A trailblazer in many respects, the esteemed Lady Justice Joyce Aluoch carries her title with grace. After a long judicial career that spanned over four decades, she has now taken on a new set of challenges including a career in high-level mediation running in parallel with an assignment to reform the judiciary of South Sudan; Africa’s youngest nation.



“I remember that I wasn’t terribly convinced [to take on this role]…I had never been to Juba. I had never been to South Sudan. I knew it was going to be challenging. This is a country that has been in conflict for a long time and this is a government in transition,” she explains.



For much of her career, the Lady Justice has been presiding over some of the continent’s most definitive legal decisions, particularly during her nineyear term as a judge on the bench at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. In order to serve one of the highest benches in the world, candidates must be nominated by their governments. 



For the Lady Justice, her appointment was a matter of fate.



“As if fate would have it, the candidate who had been nominated [for the role]…his name had been sent to The Hague and also to New York and nominations had been closed. Come September of the same year, nominations were open [again] because Asia Pacific had not sent names. It was during that brief opening that things happened. The original candidate [from Kenya] whose name had been sent was withdrawn and my name was substituted.”



As a presiding judge at the ICC, the Lady Justice was assigned to cases related to war crimes in Darfur, the post-election civil war in the Ivory Coast, and the case of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi; son of the late Muammar al Gaddafi of Libya. Off the bench, the Lady Justice has served on a number of pivotal committees including an appointment as the First Chairperson of the Committee of African Union Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child as well as being the Vice-Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child from 2003 to 2009.



Now in her seventh decade, the work continues. A life-long love of learning and curiosity keeps her going, she admits. It has also supported the longevity of her career in the law and allowed to serve on a diversity of cases and assignments.



“By the time I retired from The Hague, I had served as magistrate and judge for a total of 44 years. Some opportunities will knock on your door but not all opportunities. Most opportunities you have to look out for,” she advises

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Lady Justice Joyce Aluoch: “I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE CHALLENGING. THIS IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN IN CONFLICT FOR A LONG TIME…”

By Marie Shabaya



64| BOARD AND GOVERNANCE EXPERT, FOUNDER AND CEO, ANCHOR RELATIONSHIP NETWORK| KENYA



Jennifer Karina, by her own estimation, has lived a full life. A mother and grandmother, she is driven by a passion for people. In fact, it has formed the basis for most of her career to ensure that personal development and relational intelligence have a place in Kenyan boardrooms.



Now 64 years old, Karina has served on the boards of her country’s most prominent institutions including the Kenya Reinsurance Corporation, Central Bank of Kenya and the Kenya Girl Guides Association. At the same time, she invested in helping people grow, taking on qualifications in psychology, strategic planning and leadership from some of the world’s most recognizable universities. Today, she sits at the helm of Anchor Relationship Network (ARN), a corporate wellness and personal development consultancy based in Nairobi, as Founder and Lead Coach.



In order for her love of people to take root, Karina says that she had to overcome early difficulties.



“My early life was beautiful yet challenging in various aspects. I grew up in a home where my father was a bank manager, my mother was a teacher and so I lived an above-average lifestyle. However, we had what you call a dysfunctional family. It was difficult living there&#8230; so [my siblings and I] went to boarding school very early. I should have loved the holidays but I didn’t.”



In order to escape this unhappiness, Karina made a bold decision.



“Those days, many of us were raised to be wives and so I took the option of marriage&#8230; I found me a man, got married and when I look back it&#8217;s a miracle that I am even here because I got married at 19. At 23, I had three children.”



Concerned for her future, Karina’s father urged her to consider a tertiary education. She conceded and obtained a business degree while raising a young family. However, over time she realized that her true interest was in relationships.



“Based on my own struggles&#8230; having come from being wounded as a child, I had so much need for validation, affirmation, appreciation and it wasn’t coming my way. So, I was withering away&#8230; it took me to go for a counseling session to appreciate what value it added. From there, I realized I wanted it for longer. I began to do a certificate in Counseling as I did that I processed my pain and I became good,” she explains.

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Jennifer Karina: ‘THOSE DAYS, MANY OF US WERE RAISED TO BE WIVES AND SO I TOOK THE OPTION OF MARRIAGE…’

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AFRICA’S RICHEST PEOPLE 2023

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, published in 1988, was the first English novel in print by a black woman from Zimbabwe. She is a playwright, novelist, and filmmaker. Her novel in 2018, This Mournable Body, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.



“I would like people to know that personal redemption is possible, even under the worst circumstances,” she says about her latest novel to FORBES AFRICA. She says there’s a feeling that poverty dehumanizes in a way that is unrecoverable, but she believes that the “human thing is not given by the world, it is something we bring into the world when we are born”.



Dangarembga was arrested in Harare in 2021 for protesting against corruption – the same year in which she was awarded the PEN International Award for Freedom of Expression. In 2021, she was also the recipient of the Peace Prize – the first black woman to receive it. In 2022, after an arduous legal process, she was convicted in a Zimbabwean court of inciting public violence, as she and one other person displayed a placard asking for reform on a public road.



Dangerembga has done more than write: she has made a successful, if difficult, foray into filmmaking. After completing her degree, she found a job as a researcher at a video unity in the mid-1980s. She enjoyed the process, and after the unit closed, applied to film school.



She eventually founded Nyerai Films in 1992, the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) in the Director of the Women Filmmakers in Zimbabwe, set up and became the Director of the Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa (ICAPA) Trust in 2009. Dangarembga noticed that funding was given for films that problematize Africans rather than seeing Africans as agents with aspirations. She says this is self-defeating, and something she is concerned about.



The ICAPA Trust does content, training, exhibition and networking events. Dangarembga says they’ve had their ups and downs with funding. She is still looking, and still hoping Zimbabwe’s film industry will grow. She has made 21 short films, shown them internationally and locally, and received awards.



In 2020, she was announced as the University of East Anglia’s inaugural International Chair of Creative Writing, received an honorary fellowship of Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, and in 2022, was selected to receive a Windham-Campbell literary prize for fiction.



Her advice to young filmmakers and writers? “Persevere, you simply have to find a way to persevere.”

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Tsitsi Dangarembga: ‘I Would Like People To Know That Personal Redemption Is Possible’

67| CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS| SOUTH AFRICA



In 2022, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka took home the FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th annual Leading Women Summit. The former UN Women Executive Director’s recent appointment as the Chairperson of The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Advisory Committee on Human Rights is just one example of how success has no age limit.



“Dr Mlambo-Ngcuka has devoted her career to issues of human rights, equality, and social justice, and her experience will help the IOC enhance respect for human rights across our three spheres of responsibility,” said IOC President Thomas Bach in a December statement after her appointment.



Mlambo-Ngcuka was born in Clermont, a township of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, which housed multiple notable residents like Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita (chairperson of the Standard Bank Group), actor Muzi Mthabela and former anti-apartheid activist Eric Mtshali.



Having attended schools in KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, and England, the start of Mlambo-Ngcuka&#8217;s illustrious career began in the 1980s when she started at some of the world&#8217;s largest organizations in Geneva, to take up the position as the coordinator at World YWCA, where she established a global program for young women.



“I owe most of my breakthroughs to supportive and tough leadership of both men and women who assigned me to take up roles I learned a lot from,” Mlambo-Ngcuka says to FORBES AFRICA.



She was in Geneva from 1984 to 1989 and then returned to South Africa where she spearheaded TEAM in Cape Town, an ecumenical organization that focused on upskilling women, and where she was held to a high standard as a leader in the women&#8217;s movement, especially in the fight against apartheid.



“These were leaders who were both inspiring and they set the bar high and gave support when I faced challenges.”



Mlambo-Ngcuka has dedicated her career to “issues of human rights, equality and social justice, with a specific emphasis on gender and youth development”. In a 2022 interview with Global Citizen, she reflected about being part of the apartheid regime as a young South African activist which is why she has so much respect for young people fighting for equal opportunities today.



“[Young people] will take whatever steps necessary to achieve their objectives,” Mlambo-Ngcuka told Global Citizen. “&#8230;This is where you can see that it is really necessary to open up and allow young people to play the role they want to play in providing leadership and solutions in society.”



Her political career in South Africa also consisted of her working “tirelessly” to build and create policies and programs to diminish inequality, which began in 1994 when she became a member of the first democratically-elected South African Parliament. In 2005, she became the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President, the highest-ranking female political leader in the history of South Africa.



According to the University of the Witwatersrand, located in one of South Africa’s biggest economic hubs; Johannesburg, her 2005 appointment as the country’s first female Deputy President was not “only a win for women but it paved the way for sharper policies to unlock bottlenecks that suppressed economic growth”.



Mlambo-Ngcuka was happy to see change.



“Men are still dominating in most fields,” Mlambo-Ngcuka says. “Change is slow and it will not be permanent if we don&#8217;t focus on making it permanent.”



In data released by the World Bank showing the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments for South Africa was only 33% in 2008. In 2021, that number rose to 47%, making South Africa the second-highest in having female members in parliament, Rwanda being the first with 61%.



“As women get into decision-making in parliaments, private sector boards, civil society,” Mlambo-Ngcuka further tells FORBES AFRICA, “they must ensure policies and special measures that promote women and sustain those roles. Ensure women gain irreversible momentum.



“Younger women have to keep rising and taking up space. The older good men and women must provide a support system, offer them opportunities and continuous push. Education in this context is critical but education alone is not enough; own drive and support are necessary. Young women must never forget the importance of sisterhood and organizing.”



In 2021, after completing her term as United Nations’ (UN) Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, her colleagues and friends bid her farewell describing her as a visionary inter-generational champion.



But this not mean slowing down in any way for Mlambo-Ngcuka as she continues to be engaged and affiliated with organizations committed to education, women empowerment, and gender equality.



“In 50 years, we should not be talking about female leaders, we should just be talking about leaders.” Mlambo-Ngcuka concludes. There should be a representation of women at higher echelons as a norm.



Both men and women should play an equal role in leadership with no spotlight on women. This is what we are working towards.”


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<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/lists/2023/02/14/50-over-50-success-at-every-age/">For the full 50 Over 50 List </a>

Untitled

Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka: ‘I Owe Most Of My Breakthroughs To The Supportive And Tough Leadership of Both Men and Women’

INTRODUCING FORBES AFRICA’S 50 OVER 50 LIST – OUR FIRST- EVER COMPILATION OF 50 WOMEN OVER THE AGE OF 50 SCALING NEWER HEIGHTS AND INSPIRING THE NEXT CADRE OF LEADERSHIP ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. AGE IS JUST A NUMBER FOR THEM AND RETIREMENT NOT AN OPTION OR THE END OF THE ROAD, AS THEY CONTINUE TO POWER THEIR WAY INTO HISTORY BOOKS AND THE HEARTS OF AFRICANS. FROM BUSINESS TYCOONS TO TECHNOCRATS, FOUNDERS TO C-SUITE EXECUTIVES, AND ACTIVISTS TO ENTERTAINERS, THEY HAVE BROKEN BARRIERS THROUGHOUT THEIR IMPACTFUL CAREERS, AND TAKEN UP SPACES TO ENSURE OTHERS HAVE A VOICE IN THOSE VERY SPACES AND BEYOND. READ ON: THE SENIOR-MOST CHANGE-MAKER ON THIS LIST IS 98 AND STILL UNSTOPPABLE!



By Chanel Retief, Lillian Roberts and Marie Shabaya – With inputs from West Africa by Peace Hyde



We are in 2023 talking about mainstreaming electric cars, virtual reality, drone deliveries and space travel.



Sure, NASA is talking about landing a woman on the moon by 2024, but back on earth, gender disparity is still a norm, a discussion point, an unfinished business. As it has been for a long time And sadly, as reports suggest, as it will remain.



The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022 states that the gender gap globally has been closed by 68.1%, but at the current rate of progress, it will take another 132 years to reach full parity.



The statistics speak. But so do generations of women wanting the needle to move, faster.



Although no country has yet achieved full gender parity, the top 10 economies have closed at least 80% of their gender gaps, with Iceland (90.8%) leading the global ranking. The only sub-Saharan African countries to make the top 10 in narrowing the gender gap are Rwanda (81.1%, 6th) and Namibia (80.7%, 8th).



In an analysis by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), their gender parity index (GPI) report showed that 30 (66.67%) countries have increased gender parity while 15 (33.33%) have decreased gender parity. For ACCORD, this is an average increase for the continent when comparing the gender gap between 2013 and 2021.



But even with these figures, the reality is that women in Africa make a sizeable contribution to the continent’s informal and formal economies. The African Development Bank (AfDB) in its Empowering African Women report states that women on the continent are “more economically active as farmers and entrepreneurs than women in any other region of the world. It is the women who grow most of Africa’s food, and who own one-third of all businesses”.



But yet, the well-entrenched stereotypes and conditioning have been hard to break.



Says Nonkululeko Gobodo, Chief Executive Officer at AWAKENED Global and better known as South Africa’s first black female chartered accountant, in an interview with FORBES AFRICA: “Because these topics [racial and gender inequalities] are so embedded in history, we are so confused by this history that has defined who black people are and who women are that we’ve been unable to break free from [them]. I call them myths, because whatever people believe about women or black people are just really myths that were created.”



Milestones were hard won, particularly for this generation that had to also look past historical hardships, as they powered on.



“My parents lost everything, including all their life savings because they were on the Biafran side,” Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization as Director-General, said in FORBES AFRICA’s December 2020-January 2021 issue when she won African of the Year. “I was eating one meal a day and children were dying. So, I learned to live very frugally. I often say I can sleep on a mud floor as well as a feathered bed and be very comfortable. It has made me someone who can do without things in life because of what we went through.”



The AfDB report shows that while African women work 50% longer hours than men, the pay gap between men and women is still very wide.



But this has not swayed the fairer sex to give up on their goals.



“I am in full of admiration for women all over the African continent,” Okonjo-Iweala said at the 2021 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit for the closing keynote address. “Our priorities for African governments make sure girls are in school getting an education.”



Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, wrote in her column for FORBES AFRICA’s 10th anniversary issue in 2021: “Woman leaders, particularly young women, when given space to share their creativity, will show how to build societies able to overcome any crisis and to unleash the potential of all.”



“I’ve always viewed myself not as a woman but as a human being,” Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, renowned South African AIDS researcher, tells us. “And what is it that I want to contribute to leaving the world as a better place. And what is it that I can do to enhance our lives and ensure a sustainable future.”



This is what spells success for these 50 powerhouses on our 50 Over 50 list.



Each of them has taken the time to ensure a foundation has already been built for their successors to further build on.



In 2020, at the helm of a new decade, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA ran a list of Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women; those challenging the status quo and paving the way where there was none.



There are many formidable personalities from that list you will find on these pages too; from Wendy Luhabe to Wendy Appelbaum to Wendy Ackerman and Angélique Kidjo to Arunma Oteh to Amina J Mohammed, you will find them here, amongst several new names too from across the African continent.



“There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise,” says Louisa Mojela, the CEO of WIPHOLD in South Africa, aptly.



No matter their work in entrepreneurship, entertainment, investment, activism or philanthropy, this 2023 edition is a befitting list of respected change-makers to honor International Woman’s Day on March 8 (which is also when the eighth instalment of the FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit will be held in Pretoria, South Africa).



“I think everyday should be a day celebrating women and what women achieve,” says Wendy Ackerman, Founder and Honorary Life President of Pick n Pay Stores.



“Because everyday is a miracle what we do achieve. I watch my daughters and I watch the other women around me. In the company, I’ve watched how women have risen through the ranks, and educated themselves while working. I really believe that we should all celebrate women, and protect them.”



Here’s presenting Africa’s inter-generational female champions.



 Editor’s Note: The list follows no particular order



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Name </td><td>Age</td><td>Country </td><td>Title</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka</td><td>67</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Chair, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Advisory Committee on Human Rights</td></tr><tr><td>Nolitha Fakude</td><td>55</td><td>South Africa</td><td>President, Minerals Council South Africa and Group Director, Anglo-American plc</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Helena Ndume</td><td>62</td><td>Namibia </td><td>Head, Ophthalmology Department at Windhoek Central Hospital</td></tr><tr><td>Tsitsi Dangarembga</td><td>63</td><td>Zimbabwe</td><td>Author, Playwright and Filmmaker</td></tr><tr><td>Juliet Ehimuan</td><td>50+</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Country Director, GoogleChief Justice Martha Koome</td></tr><tr><td>Chief Justice Martha Koome</td><td>63</td><td>Kenya</td><td>15th Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya, President of the Supreme Court of Kenya</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Victoria Kisyombe</td><td>50+</td><td>Tanzania</td><td>Founder and CEO, Selfina</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Agnes Kalibata</td><td>50+</td><td>Rwanda</td><td>President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Policymaker and Agricultural Scientist</td></tr><tr><td>Folorunso Alakija</td><td>71</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Managing Director, Rose of Sharon Group</td></tr><tr><td>Louise Mushikiwabo</td><td>62</td><td>Rwanda</td><td>Secretary General, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Matshidiso Moeti</td><td>69</td><td>Botswana</td><td>Regional Director, World Health Organization Africa|</td></tr><tr><td>Wendy Luhabe</td><td>65</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Social Entrepreneur</td></tr><tr><td>Arunma Oteh</td><td>50+</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Chair, Royal African Society, Former Treasurer and Vice President of the World Bank</td></tr><tr><td>Nomhle Maggie Mliswa</td><td>58</td><td>Zimbabwe</td><td>CEO, Summerhill Farms</td></tr><tr><td>Graça Machel</td><td>77</td><td>Mozambique-South Africa</td><td>Founder and Chair of the Board for the Graça Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair, The Elders</td></tr><tr><td>Irene Charnley</td><td>62</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Chair, Gibela Rail Transport Consortium</td></tr><tr><td>Nonkululeko Nyembezi-Heita</td><td>62</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Chair, Standard Bank Group and Standard Bank of South Africa</td></tr><tr><td>Alda Salomão</td><td>50+</td><td>Mozambique</td><td>Environmental Lawyer, Human Rights Activist, Land Specialist</td></tr><tr><td>Olajumoke Adenowo</td><td>54</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Founder, AD Consulting</td></tr><tr><td>Zipporah Kittony</td><td>80</td><td>Kenya</td><td>Former Chairperson, Maendeleo ya Wanawake and Veteran Politician</td></tr><tr><td>Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala</td><td>68</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Director-General, World Trade Organization</td></tr><tr><td>Grace Onyango</td><td>98</td><td>Kenya</td><td>Veteran Female Politician</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Frannie Léautier</td><td>50+</td><td>Tanzania</td><td>CEO, SouthBridge Investments</td></tr><tr><td>Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa</td><td>52</td><td>South Africa</td><td>CEO, Naspers South Africa</td></tr><tr><td>Amina J Mohammed</td><td>61</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe</td><td>58</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Co-Founder and CEO, Motsepe Foundation and Founder and Executive Chair, African Fashion International</td></tr><tr><td>Connie Ferguson</td><td>52</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Actress, Filmmaker and Co-Founder, Ferguson Films</td></tr><tr><td>Wendy Ackerman</td><td>60+</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Founder and Honorary Life President, Pick n Pay Stores</td></tr><tr><td>Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim</td><td>63</td><td>South Africa</td><td>President, UNESCO-TWAS, Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University and Vice-Chancellor for African Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal</td></tr><tr><td>Jennifer Karina</td><td>64</td><td>Kenya </td><td>Board and Governance Expert, Founder and CEO, Anchor Relationship Network</td></tr><tr><td>Ellen Johnson Sirleaf</td><td>84</td><td>Liberia</td><td>First Female President of Liberia, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate</td></tr><tr><td>Flora Mutahi</td><td>50+</td><td>Kenya</td><td>Founder and CEO, Melvin Marsh International</td></tr><tr><td>Ibukun Awosika</td><td>61</td><td>Nigeria</td><td>Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Chair Centre Group</td></tr><tr><td>Lydia Nsekera</td><td>55</td><td>Burundi</td><td>Chair, International Olympic Committee for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion</td></tr><tr><td>Magda Wierzycka</td><td>54 </td><td>South Africa</td><td>Founder and Executive Chairperson, Sygnia</td></tr><tr><td>Judy Dlamini</td><td>63</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Founder and Chairperson, Mbekani Group</td></tr><tr><td>Dr Jennifer Riria</td><td>50+</td><td>Kenya</td><td>Veteran Women’s Rights Campaigner, Founder and CEO, Echo Network Africa</td></tr><tr><td>Catherine Wijnberg</td><td>64</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Founder, Fetola</td></tr><tr><td>Nonkululeko Gobodo</td><td>62</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Co-Founder, SNG Grant Thornton</td></tr><tr><td>Louisa Mojela</td><td>60+</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Co-Founder, WIPHOLD</td></tr><tr><td>Thuli Madonsela</td><td>60</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Advocate and Professor of Law</td></tr><tr><td>Lady Justice Joyce Aluoch</td><td>75</td><td>Kenya</td><td>Former Judge of the High Court of Kenya and Presiding Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague</td></tr><tr><td>Wendy Appelbaum</td><td>62</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Entrepreneur, Founder, DeMorgenzon Wine Estate</td></tr><tr><td>Nokugcina Elsie Mhlophe</td><td>64</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Storyteller, Writer, Playwright, Director</td></tr><tr><td>Chileshe Kapwepwe</td><td>64</td><td>Zambia</td><td>Secretary General, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)</td></tr><tr><td>Professor Glenda Gray</td><td>60</td><td>South Africa </td><td>President, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)</td></tr><tr><td>Connie Chiume</td><td>70</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Actress and Filmmaker|</td></tr><tr><td>Angélique Kidjo</td><td>62</td><td>Benin</td><td>Five-Time Grammy Winner, Singer-Songwriter, Actress and Activist</td></tr><tr><td>Rebecca Enonchong</td><td>55</td><td>Cameroon </td><td>Founder and CEO, AppsTech|</td></tr><tr><td>Yvonne Chaka Chaka</td><td>57</td><td>South Africa</td><td>Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Entrepreneur and Humanitarian</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



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The 50 Over 50 List Of Africa’s Female Powerhouses: Success At Every Age

The National Basketball Association (NBA) draft is always an exciting time of the year when teams in the greatest league on earth get to refresh their squads with the best young talent available. FORBES AFRICA takes a look at the eight players who were part of this season’s draft, some of who have gone straight to their new franchises, while others will earn experience elsewhere with the long-term goal in mind. 



By Nick Said 



Africa has a deep-rooted legacy in the NBA and provided star names in the past such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol and Luol Deng. This year, we got to see a new crop of players with ties to the continent, who have set their sights on fame and glory on the court. Here they are: 



Christian Koloko  Draft: Selected 33rd overall by the Toronto Raptors 


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<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246238247.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57344" width="647" height="431" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246238247.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246238247-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246238247-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 647px) 100vw, 647px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Koloko became the first Cameroonian selected in the NBA draft since Toronto’s Pascal Siakam in 2016 and is the third highest drafted player from the Central African country of all time behind the latter and Joel Embiid, who was third in 2014.  Born in Douala, the 22-year-old was spotted at the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa talent scouting camp in Senegal in 2017, and was taken to the United States where he played for Birmingham High School, despite speaking no English.  The center later featured for the University of Arizona before being drafted by Toronto.  



Yannick Nzosa  Draft: Selected 54th overall by the Washington Wizards 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1239215594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57343" width="625" height="417" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1239215594.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1239215594-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1239215594-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Flaviu Buboi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Nzosa was only 18 when he was drafted by Washington Wizards, who have sent him to Spanish side Real Betis to get experience in the 2022/23 season. Soccer was his first love and he started as a goalkeeper given his tremendous height, before being spotted by the coach of a local basketball club in Kinshasa.  He attempted to go to an academy in Spain as a 13-year-old, but was denied a visa, and instead went to Stella Azzurra Roma, though he later was controversially taken to Spain by his mentor Joe Lolonga without the Italian club’s permission.   He made his debut for his new side Unicaja at the age of 16 and was an instant hit, even if injury has slowed his progress recently. 



  Ousmane Dieng  Draft: Selected 11th overall by the New York Knicks 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1446348654.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57347" width="556" height="371" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1446348654.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1446348654-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1446348654-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 556px) 100vw, 556px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Dieng’s family are from Senegal, though the shooting guard was born in France and has had a circular route to the NBA.  He moved to New Zealand Breakers in 2021 and competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). While there he joined the league’s Next Stars program which specifically looks to develop NBA draft prospects. It worked as he was snapped by the New York Knicks ahead of the 2022/23 season, though he was immediately traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is still only 19. 



 &nbsp;



Khalifa Diop  Draft: Selected 39th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246319180.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57345" width="508" height="338" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246319180.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246319180-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1246319180-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px" /><figcaption>Photo by Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


The 20-year-old from Guereo, Senegal, is another who has been making a name in Spain, where he plays for Gran Canaria. He was drafted for the Cleveland Cavaliers but has been sent back to Gran Canaria to gain experience during the 2022/23 season. The center, who stands at an impressive 2.11 meters tall, first rose to prominence in the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) game at the NBA All-Star match in 2019.    Ochai Agbaji  Draft: Selected 14th overall by the Washington Wizards 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1454282748.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57348" width="582" height="386" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1454282748.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1454282748-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1454282748-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Agbaji&#8217;s father, Olofu, moved from Nigeria to the United States when he was 17 in order to play basketball for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, though initially he encouraged his son to play soccer.  But when Ochai grew nine inches in a single year it became clear he had all the attributes to be a top baller and was a star for the University of Kansas.  The shooting guard was selected in the draft by the Washington Wizards, but they traded him to Utah Jazz in September before the season started. There he plays alongside fellow Nigerian Udoka Azubuike.     Mark Williams  Draft: Selected 15th overall by the Charlotte Hornets 



Center Williams was selected by Charlotte Hornets in the draft but is spending the season with their affiliate side Greensboro Swarm. He is an alumnus of Duke University and starred for them, catching the eye of a number of teams around the country. Williams’ older sister Elizabeth is a star of the Women’s NBA and his parents are both doctors who emigrated from Nigeria. 



  Moussa Diabate  Draft: Selected 43rd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1428443282.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57346" width="641" height="427" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1428443282.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1428443282-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/GettyImages-1428443282-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 641px) 100vw, 641px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Diabate’s parents are from Mali and Guinea, and he was snapped by Los Angeles Clippers in the draft after shining for the University of Michigan. He has been sent to affiliate club Ontario Clippers, where he will spend the 2022/23 season as he makes his way in the game. Diabate was part of the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) game at the NBA All-Star match in 2020. 



  Ismaël Kamagate  Draft: Selected 46th overall by the Detroit Pistons 



Kamagate will play the 2022/23 season with Paris Basketball having been loaned back to them by his new NBA employers Denver Nuggets.  In a snapshot of how complex things can get in the NBA, Detroit Pistons selected the 21-year-old in the draft having scouted him in the French league, where he has been a star. But they immediately traded him to Portland Trail Blazers, who then traded Kamagate again to the Denver Nuggets, who have now sent him to Paris. Born to Ivorian parents, he was named best defender in the French competition in 2022.

Basketball dribble

Tall Talent: Africa’s Basketball Stars

It’s FORBES AFRICA’s 11th birthday, and we have rounded up a team of 11 stellar African footballers who we believe have been the best from the African continent since 2011.



By Nick Said 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-goalkeeper">GOALKEEPER</h2>



Édouard Mendy (Senegal) The 30-year-old gloveman was a late starter and playing Ligue 2 football in France just four years ago before a meteoric rise that has seen him become arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. He has been instrumental in Senegal’s recent success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">RIGHT-BACK</h2>



Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1441763055.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56879" width="277" height="415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1441763055.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1441763055-200x300.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px" /><figcaption>r. (Photo by Oliver Hardt &#8211; FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Hakimi is only 23 but has already played for Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and current club Paris St Germain, where he is a teammate of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Not many other footballers can say that. A set-piece specialist, he brings goals from the full-back position.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CENTRE-BACK</h2>



Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal) Koulibaly has recently made the switch from Napoli to Chelsea after eight years in Naples, where he was considered among the best defenders in Italy’s Serie A. The 31-year-old has been crucial in back-to-back World Cup qualifications for Senegal, as well as their recent Africa Cup of Nations triumph.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CENTRE-BACK</h2>



Medhi Benatia (Morocco) Benatia has retired but spent a decade in the Morocco national team and played for such great clubs as Roma, Juventus and Bayern Munich, though he is perhaps best known for his stay with Udinese. He won three league titles in Italy and two in Germany. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LEFT-BACK</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1217751780.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56880" width="470" height="636" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1217751780.jpg 757w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1217751780-222x300.jpg 222w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Marco Luzzani &#8211; Inter/Inter via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Kwadwo Asamoah (Ghana) Although he can play in midfield or defence, he spent much of his career at left-back, which included over 100 appearances for Juventus and a successful spell with Inter Milan. He played more than 350 times in Serie A and won the championship on six occasions to make him one of the most decorated Ghanaian players of all time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">RIGHT-MIDFIELD</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1244645926.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56881" width="570" height="380" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1244645926.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1244645926-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1244645926-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt &#8211; AMA/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast) Toure was not just one of the best in Africa during his playing days, but also a global great during his time with Barcelona and Manchester City. Tall and imposing, he also had great skill and vision and could dominate games all on his own. He was part of the Ivorian Golden Generation and helped them to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2015. He is a four-time African Footballer of the Year winner, a joint record number with Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CENTRAL MIDFIELD</h2>



Thomas Partey (Ghana) Partey has been a star for Ghana since 2016 having come through the ranks at Spanish LaLiga side Atletico Madrid, who he helped win the UEFA Europa League in 2018 having lost out in the final of the Champions League two years before. He is now with Arsenal and will be a huge player for Ghana at the World Cup in Qatar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LEFT MIDFIELD</h2>



Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) Mahrez usually occupies the right midfield position, but we have moved him to the left in our team. He shot to prominence at Leicester City, who he helped to win the Premier League in 2015/16 – still one of the greatest sporting stories of all time. He has since joined Manchester City and added three more league title wins, while he guided Algeria to Africa Cup of Nations success in 2019.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">RIGHT FORWARD</h2>



Mo Salah (Egypt) Salah was viewed as something of a failure in his early career at Chelsea, but a loan move to Roma in Italy helped ignite his career, which went into over-drive when he joined Liverpool in 2017. He has been among the best forwards in the world since and helped the Anfield club to their first league title in 30 years, as well as the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup. Missing from his trophy cabinet is the Africa Cup of Nations after he was runner-up with Egypt in 2017 AND 2021. He has twice won African Footballer of the Year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CENTRE-FORWARD</h2>



Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon) Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba were coming to the end of their careers just as our eligibility period starts, so the centreforward role goes to Gabon’s Aubameyang, who has been a lethal forward in France, Germany, England and Spain for the last 11 years. Up to the start of the 2022/23 season, he had scored more than 300 goals in Europe and was named African Footballer of the Year in 2015.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LEFT FORWARD</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1439033300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56882" width="577" height="385" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1439033300.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1439033300-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GettyImages-1439033300-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Sadio Mané (Senegal) Mane is arguably the hottest property in Africa right now and at the peak of his powers, both for club and country. He Helped Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations title in February and followed that up with a beating Salah’s Egypt for a place at the World Cup in Qatar. He took the bold step of leaving Liverpool for Bayern Munich at the start of the 2022/23 campaign but hit the ground running and has continued to bang in the goals in the Bundesliga. He is the reigning African Footballer of the Year, having also won in 2019.

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If you thought this weekend’s cumulative box office (around $43 million) was ugly, just wait until you see next weekend’s domestic cume. Sony moved Morbius from January 28 to April 1, and nothing whatsoever as slid in to fill the gap, which will lead to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Scream and Sing 2 (which is holding firm even as it tops the various VOD charts) again making up around 75% of what gets spent in the last weekend of January. Why is the domestic box office in such grim shape now? Well, the answer is slightly more complicated than “Omicron” or “streaming.”



1. The Oscar season is a bust.&nbsp;



While January isn’t usually a robust month for regularly scheduled tentpoles, we can usually count on one or two December releases successfully expanding into wide release to mainstream commercial success. Think, offhand,&nbsp;A Beautiful Mind&nbsp;($171 million in 2001/2002),&nbsp;Chicago&nbsp;($171 million in 2002/2003),&nbsp;Slumdog Millionaire&nbsp;in 2009,&nbsp;The Silver Linings Playbook&nbsp;($132 million in 2012/2013),&nbsp;The Revenant&nbsp;($184 million in 2015/2016),&nbsp;Hidden Figures&nbsp;($169 million in 2016/2017) and&nbsp;1917&nbsp;($159 million in 2019/2020). These films earned strong reviews and solid buzz in their November/December platform launches and then broke out accordingly with eventual $130-$190 million (or, in the case of&nbsp;American Sniper, $350 million-plus) domestic success once they expanded to “theaters everywhere” early in the new year. Alas, this year has no&nbsp;La La Land&nbsp;or&nbsp;Gran Torino-sized $150 million-plus breakout, nor even the likes of&nbsp;The Fighter&nbsp;or&nbsp;Black Swan&nbsp;both coasting to over/under $100 million in 2010/2011. &nbsp;



House of Gucci, with just $51 million, is the biggest-grossing awards season release with&nbsp;West Side Story&nbsp;placing second by default with $35 million. Save for maybe&nbsp;Dune&nbsp;($107 million), none of this year’s awards season flicks have broken out, with the so-called “mainstream crowd-pleasing frontrunner”&nbsp;Belfast&nbsp;stuck at $7 million and the theoretically commercial likes of&nbsp;King Richard&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Last Duel&nbsp;all earning well below the $23 million-grossing&nbsp;American Underdog. The Christmas tentpoles and the awards season darlings once thrived concurrently. You got the&nbsp;Lord of the Rings&nbsp;trilogy and the respective Best Picture winners thriving.&nbsp;Tron: Legacy&nbsp;and&nbsp;True Grit&nbsp;could both earn around $170 million over Christmas 2010.&nbsp;The Force Awakens&nbsp;($937 million)&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Revenant&nbsp;($184 million) could both be relative successes. But with audiences ignoring the Oscar flicks (or waiting until streaming), the domestic box office is almost entirely predicated on the holdover tentpole business. &nbsp;



2. Most of the December releases flopped.&nbsp;



Speaking of which, almost everything released in December tanked over the holidays. In a skewed example of the movie industry as it now exists, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the fourth-biggest domestic ($721 million-and-counting) and sixth-biggest worldwide ($1.69 billion-and-counting) grosser of all time, while almost everything else (The Matrix Resurrections, The King’s Man, American Underdog, A Journal for Jordan, West Side Story, Nightmare Alley, etc.) sits below $40 million domestic and in most cases closer to $10 million than $25 million. Yes, Illumination’s Sing 2 is a genuine, no-Covid curve theatrical hit, with a likely $140 million domestic and possible $300 million global cume on an $85 million budget. However, compare that to 2017 when The Last Jedi ($620 million), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ($404 million) and The Greatest Showman ($174 million) helped end 2017 and start 2018 with a bang. Even the $84 million gross of Ferdinand now feels aspirational.  



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GettyImages-1359829962.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-54044" width="578" height="438" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GettyImages-1359829962.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GettyImages-1359829962-300x228.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GettyImages-1359829962-768x583.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 578px) 100vw, 578px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



3. Studios don’t want to cannibalize themselves.&nbsp;



Sony didn’t delay Jared Leto’s&nbsp;Morbius&nbsp;from this weekend to April 1 due to Covid concerns. If that was the case, they could have moved it right back after&nbsp;Scream&nbsp;opened with $33.8 million over MLK weekend. First, April 1 is just a better date for a big movie and second&nbsp;No Way Home&nbsp;is legging out so well (it had a smaller sixth weekend drop than any of the recent pre-Christmas December mega-movies save for&nbsp;Aquaman, Titanic&nbsp;and&nbsp;Avatar) that it’s almost silly to interrupt its stride. As&nbsp;Wag the Dog&nbsp;taught us, you don’t change horses in midstream. Sony can coast on&nbsp;Spider-Man 3 version 2.0&nbsp;grosses regardless of whether it ends up in the Best Picture race next month. Whether or not Sony is throwing in new multiverse cameos,&nbsp;Morbius&nbsp;can wait until&nbsp;Spider-Man&nbsp;has run its race. &nbsp;



Ditto Tom Holland’s&nbsp;Uncharted&nbsp;still set for February 18. Meanwhile, even if Universal wanted to fill in a hole in the schedule, Jennifer Lopez’s&nbsp;Marry Me&nbsp;(also debuting concurrently on Peacock) is specifically a Valentine’s Day weekend attraction, while moving DreamWorks’&nbsp;The Bad Guys&nbsp;from April 15 to, well, now, would only stunt&nbsp;Sing 2’s leggy run. Likewise, while it might be tempting for Paramount to move&nbsp;Jackass Forever&nbsp;to this weekend (as opposed to February 4 against Lionsgate’s IMAX-enhanced&nbsp;Moonfall), they’ve already got&nbsp;Scream&nbsp;doing halfway decent business while banking on Johnny Knoxville’s appearance on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2022/01/wwe-confirms-johnny-knoxville-for-the-royal-rumble/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble</a>&nbsp;to goose interest in the comedy sequel. As such, the schedule as it exists remains as it was, with nothing arriving to fill the slot where&nbsp;Morbius&nbsp;was supposed to rule. I mean, I might have tossed Liam Neeson’s&nbsp;Blacklight&nbsp;onto this weekend, but it’s not my money.&nbsp;



4. The Super Bowl!&nbsp;



The Super Bowl will air globally on February 13, 2022. While history has shown that the films slated for that weekend (Death on the Nile&nbsp;and&nbsp;Marry Me) can do fine, it is a huge marketing opportunity for a slew of upcoming movies. No, I don’t know what films will get high-profile commercials during the big game, although Warner Bros. hasn&#8217;t plugged a big movie since&nbsp;Batman Begins&nbsp;in 2005. Regardless, even if they wanted to throw an upcoming movie into the January 21 or January 28 weekend, it would mean they’d be missing a chance to plug that film during the most-watched television event of the year. Sure, we may (speculation alert) see first looks at some big summer tentpoles, we will also likely get reminders for&nbsp;Uncharted, Operation Fortune, The Lost City, Morbius&nbsp;and&nbsp;Sonic the Hedgehog 2, all of which open prior to the summer season.&nbsp;



5. The Streaming Factor



Yes, the industry is dealing with Wall Street’s current preference for streaming, as well as the after-effects of studios selling off some potentially commercial flicks to streaming platforms as a way to get quick cash to weather the storm. I’d imagine Sony’s&nbsp;Hotel Transformania&nbsp;(a lack of Adam Sandler notwithstanding) would have given the box office a mild jolt (the previous three installments have grossed $1.3 billion worldwide) had it opened theatrically instead of debuting this past month on Amazon Prime.&nbsp;Encanto&nbsp;might have been a bit leggier (and opened bigger) had it not been essentially treated as a Disney+ flick with a courtesy 31-day theatrical engagement (as opposed to a theatrical event which would eventually debut on Disney+). I can’t say to what extent Warner’s&nbsp;King Richard&nbsp;and&nbsp;Matrix 4&nbsp;being available on HBO Max, along with the more mainstream Oscar flicks being at 20th Century as Disney was prioritizing Disney+, but it probably didn’t help.



Epilogue



The &#8220;good” news is we’ve been here before. In&nbsp;early 2018,&nbsp;Black Panther&nbsp;earned $700 million domestic and $1.346 billion worldwide while steamrolling a slew of tentpole flicks throughout February and March. This wasn’t&nbsp;Titanic&nbsp;sinking a bunch of small movies. The likes of&nbsp;Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim: Uprising&nbsp;and&nbsp;A Wrinkle in Time&nbsp;might have been franchise-friendly contenders absent the superior all-quadrant blockbuster. Studios held back in 2019 on stuffing the pre-Easter season with copious tentpoles. WB&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/05/24/wbs-godzilla-2-just-moved-far-away-from-disneys-captain-marvel/?sh=60618e324137">moved&nbsp;Godzilla: King of the Monsters</a>&nbsp;from March to May and everyone kept their distance from&nbsp;Captain Marvel&nbsp;(March 8). Alas, January’s&nbsp;Glass&nbsp;slightly underperformed and February’s&nbsp;The LEGO Movie 2&nbsp;tanked, leaving Hollywood waiting for Marvel. Cut to 2022, and everyone&#8217;s counting on&nbsp;The Batman&nbsp;(March 4).&nbsp;I can’t promise that&nbsp;The Batman&nbsp;will kick off a “business as usual” pre-summer season which will lead to a business-as-usual summer, but fingers crossed.

4410b599399a2b532e05d490c46f60da_4096x2725_ca977a97

5 Reasons Hollywood Is Suffering From A Box Office Slump

<abbr>D</abbr>espite growing fears of inflation and the onset of new variants of Covid-19, global stock markets have kept humming along in 2021. The S&amp;P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average are both up by double-digits this year, boosted by a wave of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/denizcam/2021/04/06/jackpot-ten-new-billionaires-from-ipos-in-2021/?sh=63cdb865caa1">IPOs</a>&nbsp;and reverse&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hanktucker/2021/04/06/chamath-palihapitiya-and-nine-other-new-billionaires-minted-by-spac-frenzy/?sh=6a1a9f6fed19">mergers</a>&nbsp;that minted several new billionaires. Cryptocurrencies have also been on a tear,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninabambysheva/2021/10/05/six-new-crypto-billionaires-join-the-2021-forbes-400/?sh=28bd474f375d">generating</a>&nbsp;a handful of newcomers to the three-comma club, while record venture capital and private equity activity has given rise to more ten-figure fortunes among owners and investors in private companies. Altogether,&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;tracked more than 400 new billionaires in 2021, with an estimated collective net worth of more than $1 trillion. That’s out of a total population of more than 2,600 billionaires&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2021/12/08/the-worlds-billionaires-have-gotten-16-trillion-richer-in-2021/?sh=5999ae8b2c21">globally</a>&nbsp;worth nearly $14 trillion as of December 17. (Net worths for this article are all as of December 17, 2021.)



The richest new billionaire in 2021 is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/miriam-adelson/?sh=211dd7c99c40">Miriam Adelson</a>, the widow of late casino magnate <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2021/01/12/casino-billionaire-republican-power-broker-and-trump-ally-sheldon-adelson-is-dead/?sh=57ae29202743">Sheldon Adelson</a>, who inherited his stake in Las Vegas Sands, which makes up most of her estimated $27.1 billion net worth. She’s one of at least 60 women who became billionaires in 2021, including <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/melinda-french-gates/?sh=36ea8672fcc9">Melinda French Gates</a>, who finalized her <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/08/02/bill-gates-and-melinda-french-gates-finalize-their-divorce/?sh=4fee7c83ba48">divorce</a> from Bill Gates in August and now has an estimated net worth of $6.1 billion. Among those newcomers are several self-made women billionaires, including:



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1228844716-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52021" width="576" height="384" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1228844716-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1228844716-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1228844716-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1228844716-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1228844716-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 Presented by Amazon Prime Video)</figcaption></figure></div>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Popstar-turned-fashion mogul&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/rihanna/?sh=562f915b1400">Rihanna</a>, the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/08/04/fentys-fortune-rihanna-is-now-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=2fc7e17c96b8">richest</a>&nbsp;female musician, has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion thanks to her 50% stake in cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty. She is also the first billionaire in her home country of Barbados, which recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/30/barbados-hails-rihanna-national-hero-as-it-becomes-republic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">honored</a>&nbsp;her as a “national hero.”</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/kim-kardashian-west/?sh=4541960241d6">Kim Kardashian West</a>, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/02/19/kim-kardashian-files-for-divorce-from-kanye-west/?sh=12b1293790c1">filed</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/02/19/inside-the-assets-of-the-kim-kardashian-kanye-west-divorce/?sh=158185ac29a3">divorce</a>&nbsp;from billionaire musician and footwear&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2020/04/24/kanye-west-is-now-officially-a-billionaireand-he-really-wants-the-world-to-know/?sh=4901cc677b9e">magnate</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/kanye-west/?sh=24608fb056f1">Kanye West</a>&nbsp;in February, also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/04/06/kim-kardashian-west-is-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=729c9e21bba0">joined</a>&nbsp;the three-comma-club, with an estimated $1.2 billion fortune largely made up of her stakes in cosmetics brand KKW Beauty and shapewear firm Skims. (The former reality TV star filed to drop “West” from her last name in December.)</li><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/pictures/61ae2ec4cff11e5bb2f4b16b/falguni-nayar-founder-and/?sh=71134b497f1d">Falguni Nayar</a>&nbsp;of India, a former investment banker who founded Indian fashion and cosmetics retailer Nykaa, is the world&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anuraghunathan/2021/10/23/nykaa-founder-falguni-nayars-net-worth-to-triple-in-upcoming-ipo-at-7-billion-valuation/?sh=2a23894b2d5f">richest</a>&nbsp;self-made woman billionaire to emerge this year with an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion after Nykaa&#8217;s parent company went&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/anuraghunathan/2021/11/10/beauty-retailer-nykaa-lists-at-13-billion-making-founder-falguni-nayar-indias-richest-self-made-woman/?sh=3c3396047eb7">public</a>&nbsp;on the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai, India.</li><li>Close behind her is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/melanie-perkins/?sh=65347c861265">Melanie Perkins</a>, the Australian cofounder of design software firm Canva, with an estimated $6.5 billion fortune thanks to her estimated 18% stake in the company; her husband,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/cliff-obrecht/?sh=7d6df0f629b7">Cliff Obrecht</a>, and a third Canva cofounder, Cameron Adams are also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2021/04/06/canva-reaches-15-billion-valuation-making-cofounders-melanie-perkins-and-cliff-obrecht-billionaires/?sh=7ee55c9d63c1">billionaires</a>—worth an estimated $6.5 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively—after two funding rounds in April and September that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2021/09/14/canva-raises-at-40-billion-valuation-and-founders-pledge-away-their-wealth/?sh=19d559617ba9">valued</a>&nbsp;the firm at $40 billion. Perkins and Obrecht&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/12/14/the-giving-pledge-gains-14-new-members-here-are-the-super-rich-vowing-to-donate-most-of-their-wealth/?sh=29c8bd633774">joined</a>&nbsp;the Giving Pledge this year, promising to donate at least half their fortunes to charitable causes.</li></ul>



Most of the newcomers to the billionaire ranks this year came from China, which added some 160 new billionaires, followed by the United States, with nearly 100. India and Germany each added more than 20, while Sweden stood out among the rest by minting 12 new billionaires, all self-made. Besides Barbados, three countries also got their first billionaires in 2021:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Bulgaria, where the billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2021/11/26/meet-bulgarias-first-billionaires-who-built-a-global-animal-health-firm-from-sofia-to-nebraska/?sh=2c71f5b715f4">brothers</a>&nbsp;Kiril and Georgi Domuschiev built a $4.2 billion empire across animal health, shipping, real estate and soccer by privatizing state-owned companies.</li><li>Estonia, home to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/kristo-kaarmann/?sh=1688015d43f4">Kristo Käärmann</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/taavet-hinrikus/?sh=3bd82c897471">Taavet Hinrikus</a>, founders of money exchange transfer service Wise, which went&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/2021/07/07/wise-founders-krmann-and-hinrikus-become-first-estonian-tech-billionaires-after-london-ipo/?sh=73de693f5ecb">public</a>&nbsp;on the London Stock Exchange in July.</li><li>Uruguay, which gained three&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2021/09/07/meet-uruguays-fintech-tycoons-powering-payments-for-netflix-and-amazon-dlocal-sebastian-kanovich/">billionaires</a>&nbsp;after the June IPO of cross-border payments startup dLocal; one has since fallen out of the ranks, but dLocal cofounders Andrés Bzurovski and Sergio Fogel are each worth about $2 billion.</li></ul>



More than half of the new billionaires in 2021 made their fortunes in three industries—manufacturing, technology and finance &amp; investments. Manufacturing had the largest cohort, with the vast majority of them hailing from China, including:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/deng-weiming/?sh=62b9182a7452">Deng Weiming</a>, the chairman of lithium battery component manufacturer CNGR Advanced Material, is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2021/11/14/chinese-billionaires-getting-richer-with-clean-energy-businesses/?sh=7fb9aaf51127">richest</a>&nbsp;new manufacturing billionaire in 2021, with an estimated net worth of $9.4 billion.</li><li>Also joining the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2021/07/09/scott-watterson-ifit-war-to-bring-down-peloton/?sh=35aa1cf64953">billionaire</a>&nbsp;ranks in 2021 is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/scott-watterson/?sh=446a227627c1">Scott Watterson</a>, cofounder of Logan, Utah-based gym equipment maker and Peloton rival iFIT, which produces treadmills, stationary bikes and other connected fitness machines; the firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211007005598/en/iFIT-Postpones-Initial-Public-Offering" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">postponed</a>&nbsp;its October IPO, citing “adverse market conditions.”</li></ul>



Cryptocurrencies and meme stocks made <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/06/02/not-just-amc-these-are-the-meme-stocks-reddit-traders-are-pumping-again-as-experts-urge-extreme-caution/?sh=93b18a255fcf">headlines</a> this year, A new class of billionaires emerged starting in January, when video game retailer GameStop <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/01/26/gamestops-massive-surge-creates-a-new-billionaire-as-wall-street-bets-against-reddit-traders/?sh=3cdbf4db35ae">propelled</a> the rise of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/ryan-cohen/?sh=652ceafc4f2b">Ryan Cohen</a>—an activist investor and the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2017/01/10/the-man-who-found-gold-in-dog-food/?sh=1adc4d213095">founder</a> and former CEO of pet e-commerce giant Chewy—into the three-comma-club. Cryptocurrencies continued to rise throughout 2021, minting many new <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2021/04/06/the-cryptocurrency-tycoons-on-forbes-2021-billionaires-list/?sh=3c8cb90525e2">fortunes</a> including:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/sam-bankman-fried/?sh=7d8d3fa24449">Sam Bankman-Fried</a>, the founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenehrlich/2021/10/06/the-richest-under-30-in-the-world-all-thanks-to-crypto/?sh=7f8d8e033f4d">joined</a>&nbsp;The Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans this year as the richest self-made newcomer in the history of the list. He is worth an estimated $26.5 billion.</li><li>Crypto entrepreneurs and brothers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/cameron-winklevoss/">Cameron</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/tyler-winklevoss/?sh=73fdee2e2cbd">Tyler Winklevoss</a>, each have an estimated $5 billion&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2021/04/05/revenge-of-the-winklevii-facebook-winklevoss-bitcoin-nft-billionaire-revenge/?sh=63be38e01572">fortune</a>&nbsp;thanks to their cryptocurrency investments and stakes in crypto exchange Gemini.&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;featured the twins in a cover story in April.</li><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/vitalik-buterin/?sh=2abe75dd75dd">Vitalik Buterin</a>, the Canadian-Russian&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninabambysheva/2021/11/03/ethereum-co-founder-vitalik-buterins-net-worth-hits-146-billion-as-ether-is-trading-at-all-time-high/?sh=72beaa602250">founder</a>&nbsp;of blockchain platform Ethereum and its cryptocurrency Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion. (Buterin has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilymason/2021/06/21/ethereum-creator-loses-over-400-million-as-crypto-market-collapses/?sh=eeec91d20878">fallen</a>&nbsp;in and out of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninabambysheva/2021/05/03/ethereums-27-year-old-co-creator-is-now-the-worlds-youngest-crypto-billionaire/?sh=60aeb7087c94">billionaire</a>&nbsp;ranks alongside Ethereum’s seesawing price.)</li></ul>



Fintech company founders also became new billionaires across the globe as a result of IPOs andnew funding rounds in 2021. They include:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/david-velez/?sh=6230067684ac">David Vélez</a>&nbsp;of Colombia and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/12/09/shares-of-digital-bank-nubank-rise-15-in-ipo-valuing-the-company-at-45-billion-and-minting-a-new-female-billionaire-cofounder/?sh=756046834317">Cristina Junqueira</a>&nbsp;of Brazil,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/04/07/fintech-billionaire-david-velez-nubank-brazil-digital-bank/?sh=91071cd6b279">cofounders</a>&nbsp;of digital bank Nubank, are now worth an estimated $9.7 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively, following the firm’s IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in December.</li><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/guillaume-pousaz/">Guillaume Pousaz</a>, the Swiss founder of London-based payment processing firm Checkout.com,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddawkins/2021/04/07/checkoutcoms-guillaume-pousaz-emerges-as-one-of-europes-leading-billionaire-fintech-founders/?sh=a0cc9119f5ff">emerged</a>&nbsp;as a billionaire after the company’s $450 million funding round in January, which valued it at $15 billion.</li><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/victor-jacobsson/?sh=7b118ca32459">Victor Jacobsson</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/sebastian-siemiatkowski/?sh=1c814eec6e25">Sebastian Siemiatkowski</a>, cofounders of ​​Swedish buy now, pay later firm Klarna, became&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/03/01/klarnas-valuation-triples-in-six-months-making-cofounders-billionaires/?sh=470187927654">billionaires</a>&nbsp;in March when the company raised $1 billion at a $31 billion valuation, giving them estimated $2.7 billion and $2.2 billion fortunes, respectively.</li></ul>



New listings reached record highs in 2021, both in the form of IPOs and in mergers with blank check companies known as SPACs (short for special purpose acquisition company). SPACs made up 64% of the 953 public listings in the United States so far this year, <a href="https://spacanalytics.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a> to SPAC Analytics. That’s up more than 140% from the total number in 2020, while new listings overall have more than doubled. New billionaires from SPACs and IPOs in 2021 include:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/mat-ishbia/?sh=7c5134b218af">Mat</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/justin-ishbia/?sh=7af17098781a">Justin Ishbia</a>&nbsp;of Michigan-based United Wholesale Mortgage, the country&#8217;s second-largest mortgage lender, which went&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2021/01/23/how-mat-ishbia-cashed-in-on-the-biggest-spac-ever-from-benchwarmer-to-13-billion/?sh=98192c87a333">public</a>&nbsp;via SPAC merger in January; Mat’s shares are worth an estimated $7.3 billion, while Justin’s are worth an estimated $2.2 billion.</li><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/sytse-sid-sijbrandij/?sh=4db1e4d66e5b">Sytse ‘Sid’ Sijbrandij</a>, the Dutch founder of software development platform Gitlab, took the company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2021/10/14/gitlab-reaches-15-bil-market-cap-as-shares-jump-in-ipo/">public</a>&nbsp;on the Nasdaq in a blockbuster IPO in October that made him a billionaire; he now has an estimated net worth of $2 billion.</li></ul>



Private companies have also been receiving record levels of investment from <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevindowd/2021/09/19/an-unprecedented-year-for-private-equity-is-spilling-into-the-middle-market/?sh=35320712737a">private equity</a> firms and <a href="https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/2021-us-vc-fundraising-exits-deal-flow-charts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">venture capitalists</a>, elevating many founders into their billionaire ranks without having to resort to public markets. Others also became billionaires thanks to mergers and acquisitions by larger companies amid <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/global-markets-ma-2021-08-12/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">record</a> M&amp;A activity. Among those newcomers are:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/alex-shevchenko/?sh=5cd73ce67026">Alex Shevchenko</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/max-lytvyn/?sh=6297768239cf">&nbsp;Max Lytvyn</a>, the Ukrainian-born founders of grammar checking tool Grammarly, are each worth an estimated $4 billion after Grammarly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/11/23/grammarly-founders-become-billionaires-from-fixing-your-sloppy-writing/?sh=4a0a37745852">raised</a>&nbsp;$200 million in November from investors including Baillie Gifford and BlackRock at a $13 billion valuation.</li><li>Lord of the Rings&nbsp;director&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/peter-jackson/?sh=4777cf207ab4">Peter Jackson</a>&nbsp;sold most of his New Zealand-based visual effects shop Weta Digital to video game software firm Unity Software for $1.6 billion in November, a deal that made him a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2021/11/12/bilbo-bags-a-billion-lord-of-the-rings-director-peter-jackson-is-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=5d68010c12ca">billionaire</a>, with an estimated $1.5 billion fortune.</li></ul>



By Giacomo Tognini, Forbes Staff

Screenshot 2022-01-17 at 13.40.06

Rihanna, The Winklevoss Twins, And More: Here Are The Most Notable New Billionaires Of 2021

The end of the year is approaching, and while high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) will be focused on financial and tax planning, marketing professionals should be focused on how to better reach HNWIs.



According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://worldwealthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/06/orld-Wealth-Report-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new report</a>, HNWIs in the U.S. grew their wealth by 12.3% in 2020 (despite the pandemic). The tech industry led the way—accounting for 29% of HNWIs’ wealth earned in 2020.



What else is on the rise? New platforms, decreased attention spans and more content than any one person could consume in an average lifetime. Which means that, as a marketer who wants to connect with this cohort of consumers, you must be strategic by meeting HNWIs where they are—with what they want.&nbsp;



To help you do that, Forbes recently surveyed 250 HNWIs from North America, EMEA and APAC to gather insights into how they’re managing their money, creating wealth and engaging in philanthropy. Using findings from our survey and anecdotes from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/connect/event/2021forbeswealthsummit/">Forbes Wealth Summit</a>, we compiled five key themes that are top of mind for today’s wealthiest.&nbsp;



With millions of HNWIs and thousands of brands vying for their attention, this is how you make sure your brand—and your content—stands out.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-environmental-social-and-governance">1. Environmental, Social and Governance&nbsp;</h3>



Investors increasingly apply non-financial factors like ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) when analyzing risk and growth opportunities. Today’s investors want to ensure their investments aren’t funding unethical actions and affirm that they are investing in fixing problems—from inequality to climate change to equitable corporate governance. Data backs this up.



Our research found that 62% of HNWIs said making an impact (ESG, social justice, equity) was their primary goal today. Sixty two percent also said ESG/impact funds are a significant part of their portfolio.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-enduring-impact">2. Enduring Impact&nbsp;</h3>



Impact creates opportunity. So it’s no surprise that investor interest in sustainable, responsible, and impact investing (SRI) has been increasing year over year. In fact, when we asked HNWIs about the most important financial lessons they’ve learned that they’d like to pass along to the next generation, 56% said to prioritize ESG investing.



We’ve also seen the power of impact firsthand through our work&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/2020/09/08/impact-50-investors-seeking-profit-and-pushing-for-change-diversified/?sh=3855e1ed3bce">with Nuveen</a>. The global investment manager wanted to reach financial advisors and empower them to incorporate impact strategies into their client portfolio. We worked together to activate a 2x award-winning approach to reach investors who achieved attractive returns while creating an enduring impact on the world.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-blockchain-and-crypto">3. Blockchain and Crypto</h3>



More and more HNWIs are paying attention to blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Our research found that while ESG was a top priority for HNWIs with themed investments, disruptive tech (e.g., blockchain, robotics, autonomous and electric vehicles, 5G) took second place.



Plus, the crypto market itself has reached an eye-popping&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2021/10/06/wall-street-giants-are-suddenly-piling-into-bitcoin-and-crypto-amid-500-billion-price-pump/?sh=184465cf6ee8">$2.3 trillion</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/cathie-wood/?sh=20a1b6307360">Cathie Wood</a>, the founder, CEO and CIO of Ark Investment Management, spoke at Forbes Wealth Summit about how we’re in early-stage growth of the market. Wood also discussed how convergence among and between technologies is causing creative destruction and growth—signaling that this is only the beginning of innovation and an area many HNWIs are closely watching.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-highlight-a-holistic-view">4. Highlight a Holistic View&nbsp;</h3>



Skip the myopic focus, said Ben Dell, the founder &amp; managing partner of Kimmeridge, at this year’s Wealth Summit. Dell wants to see individuals activating in their community and taking a more holistic approach. While Dell’s comments were in reference to bringing us to net-zero, marketers can glean a valuable insight—to not lean on short-sighted or short-term solutions to reach consumers.



HNWIs are thinking forward too. When we asked them about their primary investment goals five years from now, 41% said preserving their wealth for future generations. And when we asked HNWIs about the main reasons they turned to or planned to turn to ESG investments, 85% said ESG represents long-term thinking. So, to truly provide value to this group, marketers must highlight a holistic view.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-return-on-investment">5. Return on Investment&nbsp;</h3>



One way to consider this ROI is by thinking about time. As a marketer, you want to reach HNWIs where they are and give them value for the time they spend engaging with your brand. After all, these HNWIs know very well that time is money. How do you make the most of their time?



Take Forbes, for example, where more than 13.3M Forbes.com visitors will spend more on products from a brand they trust—reaching 92.5% more quality seekers than the next leading competitor. Our audience is also 60% more likely to have an HHI of $150K+ and encompasses 56% of all C-Suite leaders. So, you want to make the most of HNWIs time? Connect with them <a href="https://www.forbes.com/connect/audience-2/high-net-worth-investors-consumers/">on Forbes.com</a>. 



By S<meta charset="utf-8">onya Matejko, Forbes Staff

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In what seems to be an endless game of hot potato, the Harry Potter films have now, again, jumped ship from Peacock to HBO Max (ShowMax). The definitive tentpole fantasy franchise of the 2000s, which began with a record $93 million opening weekend and $974 million global gross (second only to Titanic at the time) in November 2001 and ended with a record $169 million opening weekend and $1.34 billion global cume (behind only Titanic and Avatar at the time) in July of 2011 essentially has two homes.



The films obviously belong to Warner Bros., but the theme park attractions (where much of the fandom is nurtured) belongs to Universal Studios. Anyway, to mark the occasion, and since I’ve never sat and done this before, I have used science, math and dark magic to create the official, 104% accurate ranking of all eight Harry Potter movies. I like all of these films to various degrees, but, as always, this list will not be your list, because what fun would that be?



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-51353859-1024x794.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52426" width="652" height="505" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-51353859-1024x794.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-51353859-300x233.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-51353859-768x596.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-51353859.jpg 1528w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" /><figcaption>LONDON &#8211; NOVEMBER 04: Writer J K Rowling with actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson at the UK Film Premiere of &#8216;Harry Potter And The Philosopher&#8217;s Stone&#8217;, held at the Odeon, Leicester Square on 4th November 2001, in London. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images).</figcaption></figure></div>



Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets&nbsp;(2002)



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$100 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$88.36 million



Domestic box office:     $262.23 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$878.75 million



By default, this Chris Columbus-directed sequel has the challenge of being the only chapter that’s essentially an “episode of the week.” It’s not the introductory chapter and it’s arguably the only one that doesn’t really establish key relationships or plot points within the broader eight-film saga. It also has to try and tell a supernatural murder mystery where no one actually dies, but it still gets gets for some genuinely terrifying creature effects (the deluge of spiders and the final monster are absolutely trying to scare your kids senseless). However, even in this “inessential” chapter, Richard Harris’ Dumbledore offers up the key thesis of the saga, namely that a person’s value is not about their destiny or lineage but rather about the choices they make in good times and bad.



Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince&nbsp;(2009)



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$250. million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$77.84 million ($158 million Wed-Sun)



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$302.09 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$934.76 million



I’m a little “biased” as they say, because this sixth film is based on one of my favorite books in the series, and yet seems to omit the very things that make the book pop. We get almost no “origins of Voldemort” material and very little in terms of Snape’s backstory, instead saving that for one long montage in the final picture. Moreover, and this is not necessarily a criticism (because it works for this adaptation, but the film painfully telegraphs what in the book was a jaw-dropping plot twist. Even with an overindulgence in hormonal hijinks, this one still works as a visual differentiation while Tom Felton’s Malfoy shines as a young man tortured by the implications of actually doing evil as opposed to merely “being” evil.



Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-78345740-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52425" width="354" height="236" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-78345740-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-78345740-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-78345740-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-78345740-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-78345740-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px" /><figcaption>Harry Potter Posters lined down 54th steet (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage) *** Local Caption ***</figcaption></figure></div>



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$125 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$90.29 million



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$317.87 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$974.71 million



This table-setting chapter is a remarkable example of efficient character introduction (three of four main adults, Hagrid, Dumbledore and McGonagall, appear fully-formed in the prologue), and the sheer inexperience of our young actors puts the “burden” on the elder pros. Even so, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Ruper Grint nail the core characters with able support from the likes of Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman. The mystery is (obviously) kids stuff, but the film works as a refreshingly stand-alone story which didn’t feel the need to offer an entire saga’s worth of loose ends. That’s another example of Hollywood learning the wrong lessons from a blockbuster smash. At the very least, Chris Columbus deserved a special Oscar for casting this entire saga pitch perfect from the start.



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban&nbsp;(2004)



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$130 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$93.69 million



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$249.76 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$795.63 million



This Alfonso Cuarón-directed chapter is often considered a favorite for folks who otherwise don’t care for the franchise. The film refreshingly upends the comparatively conventional visual template, including putting Harry and his friends in civilian close and giving the adult cast a stake in the core story, but it’s also among the few that more-or-less requires you to have read the book to get the nitty-gritty details. Also, Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black has too little screen time, although Harry’s friendship with Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) is an emotional highlight and a delight for those of us who “discovered” Thewlis in Naked Lunch, The Island of Dr. Moreau and/or Dragonheart. A solid stand-alone chapter, and a “calm before the storm” entry which barely mentions “He Who Must Not Be Named.”



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-828213258-1024x640.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52428" width="398" height="249" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-828213258-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-828213258-300x188.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-828213258-768x480.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-828213258-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GettyImages-828213258.jpg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jane Mingay &#8211; PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$150 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$102.68 million



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$290.20 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$896.68 million



The best of J.K. Rowling’s books results in a merely “very good” feature film adaptation. While I get Mike Newell’s decision to omit most of the non-Harry Potter material from the infamously long source material, the film ends up having a certain episodic feel. Moreover, in a chapter that should be filled with melodrama, the “stiff upper lip” British mentality makes it feel a bit more functional than it should while the visiting schools hilariously reinforce certain gender stereotypes (Clémence Poésy’s Fleur Delacour is miserable in each TriWizard competition). Nonetheless, the action scenes are pretty great, the climax works despite itself and Ralph Fiennes (cast to type) makes a fine entrance as Voldemort in the flesh. Robert Pattinson’s entrance as the doomed Cedric Diggory made my jam-packed IMAX showing sigh with thirst/lust. They weren’t wrong.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II&nbsp;(2011)



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$125 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$169.19 million



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$381.19 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$1.342 billion



I’m not sure why director David Yates (who helmed the last four of these) decided that this series finale should the one to run barely two hours, especially when they spend much of the first act in a side quest to fetch a Horcrux from Gringotts bank. Nonetheless, if the last 2/3 feel a little rushed, with much of the “battle of Hogwarts” feeling a little truncated, at least it doesn’t wear out its welcome. This series finale nails the landing, giving big character moments (including Julie Walters’ Molly Weasley righteously killing of Helena Bonham Carter’s Bellatrix Lestrange) to everyone of consequence and prioritizing a satisfying finale over jaw-dropping twists. Rickman shines, the forest walk hits like a ton of bricks, and the Harry/Voldemort showdown cleverly adds a physicality to what was mostly a point-and-shoot duel.



Oh, and the epilogue is as effective now as it was in print form. These kids didn’t want to be kings and masters, they just (like Sam and Frodo) wanted to live another day. Especially ten years later, after so many other pop culture juggernauts came to a whimpering end, it’s beyond impressive that&nbsp;Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II&nbsp;just ended its story in a logical and satisfying fashion without trying to outsmart the fans or subvert expectations. Hell, in this pop culture, a smooth landing is the biggest surprise of all. Had it all ended here, without the thus-far botched prequel franchise (and, yeah, without the author earning the ire of her fandom), I still think&nbsp;Harry Potter&nbsp;would still stand alongside (or above)&nbsp;Star Wars&nbsp;as a definitive pop culture myth.



Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix&nbsp;(2007)



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$150 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$77.1 million ($139.72 million Wed-Sun)



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$292.14 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$942.64 million



It is a little ironic that the worst, most padded book in the series makes for one of the very best movies. David Yates made his “Wizarding World” directorial debut with this fifth film. Michael Goldenberg took over (just this once) for regular screenwriter Steven Kloves and cut the source material to the bone, creating a coming-of-age adventure whereby our young heroes were left to fend for themselves as the outside world (and the adult authority figures in their midst) either turned on them or were unable to help. With nobody believing that Voldemort was actually back, it’s up to Harry to actually earn his stripes and teach his classmates to defend themselves, as this thrilling chapter culminates with a wizard battle royal that highlights all the heroes and villains kicking each other’s asses in IMAX-friendly fashion.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I&nbsp;(2010)



Budget:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$125 million



Opening weekend:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$125.02 million



Domestic box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$296.13 million



Worldwide box office:&nbsp;&nbsp;$960.43 million



This “part one” of the two-part adaptation of the final novel sends Harry, Hermione and Ron on the run from a now dominant Death Eater army. The heroic trio has to fend for itself as their allies perish at the hands of Voldemort’s empowered genocidal army. Concurrently, now the actors have to step up as they all deliver franchise-best performances. While the film is generally a character-driven tone poem, drenched in fear and despair, it does have several exciting and exceedingly tense action scenes. As a stand-alone picture, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I is a pitiless plunge into hell, a sad and bitter drama where beloved childhood memories vanish in a puff of figurative (or in Hermione&#8217;s case, literal) waves of a wand. Seven films in, Harry Potter gets its Empire Strikes Back, and it’s awesome.



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TOPLINE In year two of the pandemic, as South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, we can’t but look back at the lives impacted and the businesses that have been throttled by a virulent virus. Yet, in all of this, there are rays of hope, as some have shone through, to ideate and innovate and also lend a helping hand by making sure women and girls are at the center of their pandemic-proof enterprises. These female entrepreneurs have businesses in fashion and food, and run NGOs and social reform. For some, these are side hustles, but no matter the nature of their undertaking, they aim to uplift, upskill and empower. FORBES AFRICA sat down with a few such doers to glean their thoughts on how they are making it:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-shared-collective">1. Shared Collective</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-2-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-52325" width="586" height="329" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-2-300x169.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-2-768x432.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-2-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1-2.png 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 586px) 100vw, 586px" /></figure></div>



“I saw this TikTok that said I couldn’t work a nine-to-five but now I am an entrepreneur who works 24/7!” laughs Kishana Naidoo, co-founder of digital clothing platform Shared Collective or Shared Co.



“But at least we have a creative outlet,” says her business partner and fellow co-founder, Simone Veitch.



Although Veitch is in London and Naidoo in Johannesburg, both cities that are big economic hubs, the pandemic presented an opportunity for them to take advantage of the rising trend in digital spaces.



Shared Co. is a platform for women to share their wardrobe and rent from others. It enables them to monetize their clothing items by renting them out and reducing their retail consumption by renting items from others.



Although this business model will raise many questions such as ‘who rents clothes out to people during a pandemic’, the duo make it clear that security and safety is of utmost importance to them.



“We have a strict dry-cleaning policy that people both renting out and those who rent have to follow,” Veitch says. “Furthermore, with the delivery process, we want people to feel safe when going through our process.”



The inspiration for the brand came when both women working in the corporate sector were forced to pause and think when Covid struck.



“I think a lot of people went through that,” Naidoo says. “We wanted to create something that both helps women get a second income as well as feel empowered.”



“The end goal for us has always been empowering women,” Veitch adds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Hair For Life</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0462-1024x992.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52323" width="347" height="336" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0462-1024x992.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0462-300x291.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0462-768x744.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0462.jpg 1170w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 347px) 100vw, 347px" /></figure></div>



Getting a business to run successfully during the pandemic has been a hair-raising task for most. But 29-year-old Khanyi Cele believes the magic tool to any successful business these days is utilizing social media. Hair For Life took root when Cele was searching for good quality hair for herself and was not impressed with what salons had to offer. She tells us more:



Q. What has it been like having a business during a pandemic and what has your business trajectory looked like? 



A. I have been fortunate that my business actually started picking up as Covid restrictions eased… my business has honestly not been affected in a major way by the pandemic. My business trajectory has been rather a smooth one if I should say, but with any business, there are always bumps and curves here and there especially if you working with international suppliers.



Q. You use social media as the main tool to promote your product. Do you think the future of business lies in social media?



A. Social media is certainly a platform to be reckoned with. It’s cost-effective and effective in getting your product out to people. The fact that you can reach out to people all over the world is a major selling point as I have customers from all corners asking me if I ship internationally. It is in my opinion the future of direct marketing. The results are almost instant and noticeable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Team DIMA Global </h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/team-dima_-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52331" width="578" height="434" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/team-dima_-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/team-dima_-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/team-dima_-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/team-dima_-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/team-dima_.jpg 1890w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 578px) 100vw, 578px" /></figure></div>



The University of Pennsylvania said in a report that the stigma and challenges associated with menstruation destabilize over 800 million girls daily.



“One in every ten schoolgirls in sub-Saharan Africa miss school daily. Girls report being bullied and ridiculed about their period by peers and teachers with serious and sometimes fatal consequences,” the report read.



However, they also found that global advocacy for what the world knows as “period positivity” with people demanding access to menstruation products and facilities exposes social and economic inequities and the need for reform.



One of those advocates is social entrepreneur Dima-Thalia Rizk. All the way from the heart of London, Rizk founded her community organization, Team DIMA Global, with her twin-sister Mary. The company launched a long-term project to handle “menstrual hygiene management” in Kenya. The project looks at ensuring that every girl has access to period pads 365 days a year. Period poverty is one of Rizk’s main concerns and the stigmas centered around menstruation.



“Without a doubt, menstruation is one of the most challenging topics in Africa and the world today,” Rizk says to FORBES AFRICA. “It&#8217;s a shame that we&#8217;re in 2021 and still trying to make progress in normalizing menstruation and working to help women and girls access sanitary products. It is a natural process most females have to go through and there is hardly any consideration of their wellbeing; affordable access is a human right.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Khanyalanga Catering </h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/phumi-682x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52327" width="284" height="426" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/phumi-682x1024.jpg 682w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/phumi-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/phumi-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/phumi.jpg 853w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 284px) 100vw, 284px" /></figure></div>



Motto You Live By: “I have two – &#8216;Carpe Diem&#8217; and ‘When the going gets tough, breathe, focus and move on&#8217;.”



Deloitte stated in a report in March 2020 that the majority of catering companies (particularly SMEs) “have faced sharp declines in customer numbers, ruptured asset chains, or other momentous challenges”. This was no different during the pandemic for KwaZulu-Natal-born Phumelele Masinga who saw a downward trajectory for her business which she founded in 2018.



“It&#8217;s been extremely challenging for Khanyalanga Catering,” Masinga says. “Seeing that the majority of our clients were in corporates, we took a knock as the work-from-home concept took shape. So the on and off between [lockdown alert] levels has really affected how we do business.”



Most of the challenges that Masinga has experienced has revolved around cancellations and postponements and having to adapt to making more food deliveries, as opposed to simply setting up and serving.



However, this has not demotivated Masinga in any way as she has seen through word-of-mouth that her business has grown, which she says is by “word of taste”.



“Yes, I learned some tough lessons in the beginning and I have had to adapt and be flexible (especially during this period), and I believe that we are agile enough for Khanyalanga to be a sustainable and successful business,” Masinga adds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. La Shadie</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lashade-1024x768.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52328" width="516" height="387" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lashade-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lashade-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lashade-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lashade-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/lashade.jpg 1890w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px" /></figure></div>



Nobody loves a side hustle and a passion for fashion more than sisters Boitumelo Moshugi and Neo Moshugi who founded sunglass brand, La Shadie. Both are practising Candidate Attorneys in Johannesburg aspiring to become successful attorneys and entrepreneurs.



La Shadie was birthed in June last year when Neo was unemployed.



“Boitumelo came to me with the opportunity to start a sunglass business,” Neo says. “I considered it for some time but after she showed me the research she had done, I was convinced. I had a love for sunglasses and as we delved deeper into our research, my love for the business opportunity grew.”



“What inspired La Shadie is our passion for fashion. I was always questioned about my unique sense of style and the choice of sunglasses when pairing my outfits, which led me to want to bring a vision to people in the market place that’s so unique that they cannot be found in retail stores,” Boitumelo adds.



The main marketing tool the Moshugi sisters use is social media which has allowed them to see great demand for their products. More than that, starting a business during Covid has surprisingly helped them in their growth trajectory.



“Having a business during the pandemic has been an incredible experience because of the creativity it has brought to growing our business. Although it was daunting at first, we dove in head first and kept the momentum going.”



(The List is in No particular Order)

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FORBES AFRICA lists the top 10 contemporary South African golfers by their career earnings to date on the two major tours.



WHEN THE 103rd PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WAS played in May, South Africa boasted a record 11 entrants in the field, a sign of the competitiveness of the country’s golfers on the international stage and a nod to local courses that continue to develop outstanding players. South Africa currently has 10 golfers ranked in the top 100 in the world, behind only runaway leaders the United States, who have 46, and England’s 11.



But given the investment dollars spent on the game in the respective countries, it makes South Africa pound-for-pound arguably the second most successful golfing nation at present, a huge achievement that amplifies the success of the local Sunshine Tour.



FORBES AFRICA lists (in no particular order) the South Africans currently in the global top 10 by their career earnings to date on the two major tours*



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-louis-oosthuizen">LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52288" width="599" height="399" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333072873-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $26,274,723 European Tour Earnings: $26,158,152



Oosthuizen has just recently surpassed his European Tour winnings on the United States-based PGA Tour, boosted by two second- placed finishes in consecutive Majors at the PGA Championship and the US Open.



Despite his eye-watering earnings, the Mossel Bay-born player has never actually won on the PGA Tour, losing three times in a play-off. But he did enjoy success by winning The British Open in 2010, which remains his sole triumph to date in one of the ‘big ones’ after those recent close shaves. In fact, he now has six runner-up finishes in Majors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BRANDEN GRACE</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52290" width="526" height="351" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334335413-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $11,071,441 European Tour Earnings: $16,714,032



Grace has been a stalwart of both tours for some years and picked up his second victory on the PGA in April when he won the Puerto Rico Open to go with his 2016 success at the RBC Heritage.



He has nine further wins on the European Tour, including the South African Open in 2020. He finished tied for seventh at the US Open this year, but his best Major finish was at the 2015 PGA Championship when he finished third.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHARL SCHWARTZEL</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52289" width="543" height="362" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1333917542-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $1,605,985 European Tour Earnings: $20,674,161



A heavy earner on the European Tour during his career, his one Major triumph actually came in the United States when he lifted the Masters trophy in 2011.



He has only one more win there in the last decade, but an impressive 10 on the European Tour, eight of which have come in South Africa and the other two in Spain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DYLAN FRITTELLI</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52295" width="654" height="435" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335094389-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 654px) 100vw, 654px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $4,499,473 European Tour Earnings: $3,392,853



Fritelli’s one and only PGA Tour win came at the John Deere Classic in 2019, to go with two successes on he European Tour in the Lyoness Open in Austria and the Mauritius Open.



His best finish at a Major was tied fifth at the Masters in 2020.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><meta charset="utf-8">ERIK VAN ROOYEN</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52297" width="550" height="367" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335986246-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $1,596,939 European Tour Earnings: $5,325,617 



Van Rooyen has shown great consistency despite a single professional win outside of South Africa in his career – at the Scandinavian Invitation in 2019. He is often found high up the leaderboard though, with his best Major finish an eighth place at the 2019 PGA Championship.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BRANDON STONE</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52296" width="556" height="371" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335010802-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 556px) 100vw, 556px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $295,257 European Tour Earnings: $4,980,169



Stone has three wins on the European Tour, though none since 2018. He claimed his first victory at the SA Open in 2016 and the closest he has come recently was a play-off loss in the Oman Open last year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CHRISTIAAN BEZUIDENHOUT</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-1024x669.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52293" width="592" height="386" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-1024x669.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-300x196.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-768x502.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-1536x1003.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335489628-2048x1337.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $974,608 European Tour Earnings: $4,107,928



An emerging star of South African golf, Bezuidenhout won three European Tour events between June 2019 and December 2020, but has yet to make his mark in the Majors. It feels like it is just a matter of time though. He was banned for two years in 2014 after testing positive for using ‘beta blockers’, which he claimed was to control his anxiety and a stutter. The sanction was later reduced to nine months.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEAN BURMESTER</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-1024x566.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52294" width="539" height="298" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-1024x566.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-300x166.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-768x424.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-1536x849.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335437065-2048x1131.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px" /><figcaption>PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC &#8211; AUGUST 21: Dean Burmester of South Africa on the 14th hole during Day Three of The D+D Real Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Resort on August 21, 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $46,826 European Tour Earnings: $3,931,356



Born in Zimbabwe but playing under the South African flag, Burmester claimed the European Tour’s Tenerife Open in May and has been a stalwart of the local Sunshine Tour.



He has yet to crack it in the United States, and has not yet played at either the British Open or the Masters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GARRICK HIGGO</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52292" width="541" height="360" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335953221-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $1,358,316 European Tour Earnings: $1,076,625



The ‘next big thing’ in South African golf, and possibly the global game, Higgo has had his breakthrough year in2021andattheageofonly22is as exciting a prospect as you will see on tour.



All four of his professional wins outside of South Africa have come since September 2020, and in June, he won the Palmetto Championship in just his second start in the United States.



Higgo has been mentored by nine- time Major winner Gary Player and turned professional in 2019.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DANIEL VAN TONDER</h2>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52291" width="487" height="325" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1334990119-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px" /><figcaption>(Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



PGA Tour Earnings: $31,300 European Tour Earnings: $562,094



A player who has enjoyed great success on the Sunshine Tour, especially recently with four wins in 2020 alone.



His single success on the European Tour came at the Kenya Savannah Classic in March this year.



By Nick Said



*Earnings as of July 5, 2021

Category: Lists