THE CLASS OF 2022: MONEY AND MEANING

THE FORBES AFRICA 30 UNDER 30 CLASS OF 2022 CARE ABOUT BEING VISIONARIES OF CHANGE AND CATALYSTS FOR INNOVATION. BEING ON THE MOST-ANTICIPATED LIST ON THE CONTINENT, FOR THESE YOUNG TRAILBLAZERS, IS NOT JUST ABOUT COMMERCE AND CLOUT BUT ABOUT ENSURING THEY REPRESENT WELL THEIR COUNTRIES AND THE DIVERSE, HETEROGENEOUS AFRICA THEY WANT TO SERVE. CELEBRATING ITS EIGHTH EDITION, THE LIST THIS YEAR FEATURES THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST, BUT IMPORTANTLY, THE MOST RESILIENT, WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO NOT ONLY SHINE A LIGHT ON THE ISSUES PLAGUING AFRICA'S GROWTH IN A PANDEMIC ERA BUT ALSO WORK TOWARDS SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE, ONE TINY, TENACIOUS STEP AT A TIME.

- Chanel Retief

BILLIONAIRE entrepreneur Patrice Motsepe boldly said at the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa in Gaborone, Botswana in April this year that “this is Africa’s time... and it’s an exceptional time”. For the past seven years, FORBES AFRICA has been celebrating young leaders under the age of 30 trying to make the continent exceptional. And, this year too, it would seem the common word to describe the class of Under 30s would be ‘meaning makers’: they do what they do to create a difference.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, beyond the categories of business, technology, creative, and sports, this year, we also looked for visionaries in the healthcare sector.

We added Health/Science to the mix to headline young thinkers, professionals, and entrepreneurs working tirelessly on the frontline to reinvent Africa’s medical sector.

The list reflects the diversity of industries and talent on this great continent of 54 countries, with nominees also applying for and shining in multiple categories at the same time. For example, for the first time, we have under-30s who are making a mark in not only the creative industry but also the technology sector.

Together, they are a stellar collection of individuals who have faced one of the most difficult times in history and refused to back down in the face of a global pandemic. If their firms, businesses, and brands have grown during this period, it’s down to their win-no-matter-what dictum.

Africa’s economic progress may sometimes be marred by coups and political unrest, staggering unemployment rates, and yes, even corruption, but the one thing that has always stood by it?

The resilience of its people and the positivity of the entrepreneurs firing up the engines of growth.