Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, South Africa’s Caster Semenya, and more join this year’s notables making an impact in their communities and around the world, as recognized by TIME Magazine.
TIME Magazine published its list of the 100 most influential people in the world among South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa and athletics Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya, Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Salah and Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Ghanaian entrepreneur Fred Swaniker, among the world’s top influencers. The list is divided into five categories, namely: Pioneers, Artists, Leaders, Icons, and Titans.
Fred Swaniker
The Ghanaian entrepreneur and leadership development expert is featured in the pioneer category. He is profiled by telecoms entrepreneur and chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mo Ibrahim.
Cyril Ramaphosa
South Africa’s president is featured in the leaders’ category. His nomination comes from Vivienne Walt, a TIME correspondent.
His writeup reads, “…Now finally, at 66, Ramaphosa, or Cyril, as he’s known to South Africans, has the chance to end corruption and grow the stalled economy. That could be his toughest battle yet. Blackouts, grinding poverty and massive unemployment have left millions desperate for quick results.”
Mohammed Salah
He is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liverpool and the Egypt national team. He is the only male footballer on this year’s list.
Salah was named in the “Titans” category alongside Lebron James, Mark Zuckerberg, Tiger Woods, and Alex Morgan. His TIME profile is written by John Oliver, the host of HBO‘s Last Week Tonight.
Caster Semenya
This South African Olympic track-and-field champion is featured in the icons section not just for her athletic abilities but also for fighting to change the politics in sports.
Rami Malek
Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek took this past year by storm playing the role of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Abiy Ahmed
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister is named in the leaders’ section. Writing his TIME 100 profile, Olympic-silver-medalist marathoner named Feyisa Lilesa said she nominated him because of his efforts to change the country.
The magazine released six covers, featuring Salah, Nancy Pelosi, Gayle King, Sandra Oh, Dwayne Johnson, and Taylor Swift.
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Photography Credits: Instagram| TIME Magazine