Some of the most famous African personalities include Nelson Mandela who is famous as the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and the country’s first black president, and Nigerian and Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote. Other famous people from Africa include Kenyan 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, and sports legends Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
The continent has also produced famous actors and actresses who include Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Lesley-Ann Brandt, and The Mummy star, Arnold Vosloo. Other African legends include musicians Miriam Makeba, Yemi Alade,Tiwa Savage and Yvonne Chaka Chaka, award-winning authors Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, and religious leaders and activists.
Most famous and influential African personalities
64 years old
Fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022
33 years old
81 years old
36 years old
Nigerian nollywood actress whose recent movies include Saving Rita, Everybody Loves Jenifa
67 years old
36 years old
73 years old
42 years old
Canadian-born Ghanaian actress famous for her role in Ghanaian film "Princess Tyra"
41 years old
68 years old
Nigerian businessman famous as the richest man in Africa and the richest black man in the world with a net worth of about $26.3 billion
Famous Legends from all the 5 Regions of the continent
There are other countless influential personalities from Africa. The most famous people from Africa have excelled in politics, sports, business, entertainment and history. Moreover, these celebrities from Africa span all the main regions of the continent.
These are North Africa, South Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and the six African Island nations of Madagascar, Mauritius, Cape Verde, Seychelles, Comoros, and Sao Tome and Principe.
