14 African Influencers on Social Media

Looking for business inspiration or maybe you just want to stay abreast of the latest. Here are the top social media influencers on the continent. Did we leave anyone out? Chime in, in the comments below.

1. Zimbabwean uber-businessman Strive Masiyawa has gained an unprecedented following on facebook with over 382k likes. Facebook is currently the most visited site on the continent and Masiyawa’s unique and inspiring personal brand is extremely valued. A taste of the “Strive” brand: [blockquote source=”Strive Masiyiwa”]No matter your job, (whether formal or informal); whether you are a civil servant, or in the private sector, or social organization. Whether you are paid or not paid, as long as you woke up in the morning, and worked. Even if you are a vendor or a hawker, in the streets of a slum……As long as its not criminal, destructive or injurious to others… You are a nation builder, because that is how nations are built. You might be farming on just a few acres, even in the rural areas of your country. Perhaps, you are a woman, just managing to survive. No one might have ever told you, this: you are a nation builder, the greatest nation builder, Africa has ever known! If you live in the diaspora, and send money home to your family, no matter how little it is; you have a right to call yourself an investor in your nation; a nation builder; an employment creator, a national developer…. Do as much as you can![/blockquote]

2. Ivorian Professional football player Didier Drogba  just joined facebook this past March and already has over 1.5 million friends. He has a super active instagram and twitter feed too.

3. South Africa leads in number of active tweeters of any African country. The most followed twitter account belongs to radio host and writer Garrett Cliff. As a public figure in media and radio broadcast he has immense influence and has over 674K followers on twitter.

4. As the only person on the list from the Benin, we had to include beloved musician Angelique Kidjo. Her 16.7k Twitter followers heart her.

5. Not a person but absolutely worth following is the cross-media project Everyday Africa. Showcasing the variety and authenticity of regular folk via a collection of photos shot every day all across the continent with numerous contributing photographers, this account has over 92,000 followers and counting. Also check out  Everyday People Stories a social media force that captures the look of every day (stylish) people on the streets of South Africa.

6. Famed Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour wields his clout  with  22.8k followers on twitter and over 168,000 likes on his facebook page.

7. Naija actress  Genevieve Nnaji once called “the Julia Robert’s of Africa’ by Oprah herself, works her chops with  622k twitter followers.

8. Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o  slays on social. Over 1.2 million instagrammers follow her global travels. Plenty of personal photo’s and selfies on this feed!

9.  The King of “Africapitalism”, businessman Tony Elumelu also throws inspiring morsels to his  impressive crowd of Twitter followers.

10. Rwandan President,  Paul Kagame was one of the first leaders to harness the power of social. He is well-known on Twitter where he chats with citizens, subjects and other friends and a-hem…foes

11. Powerhouse Nigerian-American author Teju Cole is the influencer who influencers follow. His thoughtful 140-word missives have gained an impressive following on twitter at 156k…but we bet his retweet count is through the roof.

12. Tanzanian politician January Makamba is building a loyal base on social. Young and energetic, he wants to move mountains: [blockquote source=”From the Guardian”]It was empathy that turned him into a politician when, in his gap year, he was manager of Mtabila refugee camp, overseeing 120,000 Burundi refugees. “Witnessing that misery made me political.” It made him “philosophical”. But Makamba has emerged as a politician who does more than philosophise. He is an innovator with formidable drive. He is determined to unshackle his country from reliance on aid. He set up Bumbuli Development Corporation to borrow $10m from Wall Street philanthropists, invested in bonds with dividends to be spent in his constituency. “We decided not to find an NGO to help us but start our own – and not make it a charity. We have had a flurry of NGOs with little impact. This corporation would be a driver for development and private enterprise. It would be a social business with huge potential.” .[/blockquote]

13. Not that many social followers but he has a loud voice, Nigerian businessman Jason Njoku of iROKO.tv comes in at lucky number 13. He tweets and blogs regularly. If you want to know the highs and lows of building a 100million dollar business in Africa, trust us, follow his Tumblr.

14.  And while canonical author Chinua Achebe passed away a little more than a year ago,  his publisher continues to maintain and this beloved authors’ social presence.