đź‘‘

African Giant of the Week

Celebrating Africa's most influential leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are shaping the continent's future.

African Giant of the Week: Meet Slawn, the Nigerian Artist Behind the FA Cup's Artistic Twist
Latest Feature
By Abiodun Victoria Ojima • • 30 views

African Giant of the Week: Meet Slawn, the Nigerian Artist Behind the FA Cup's Artistic Twist

From Lagos to London's art scene, Nigerian-born artist Olaolu Akeredolu-Ale, popularly known as Slawn, is building an international reputation with his bold, unconventional approach to contemporary art. Slawn's creative journey spans street culture, fashion and painting. His early involvement with Nigeria's skateboarding and streetwear community helped shape his artistic identity before he moved into painting during the COVID-19 lockdown in London in 2020. Since then, his distinctive, graffiti-inspired style has earned him recognition across the creative industry. In 2023, Slawn made history as the youngest artist to design the BRIT Awards statuette, becoming the first Nigerian-born artist to take on the assignment. The achievement introduced his work to a wider audience and marked a significant milestone in his growing career.

Read Full Story

Previous Features

African Giant of the Week: Nthanda Manduwi, the Malawian Entrepreneur Connecting African Youth to Digital Skills and Innovation
African Giant

African Giant of the Week: Nthanda Manduwi, the Malawian Entrepreneur Connecting African Youth to Digital Skills and Innovation

Africa's future is being shaped by people who are creating opportunities for young people, developing new ideas and building platforms that respond to the continent's needs. Among them is Nthanda Manduwi, a Malawian entrepreneur whose work spans education, technology, storytelling and youth empowerment. Born and raised in Malawi, Manduwi has spent more than a decade building initiatives aimed at expanding access to digital skills, supporting young creatives and connecting African talent to opportunities in a rapidly changing world. Her journey began with storytelling and a personal blog, which eventually developed into a broader commitment to education and entrepreneurship. In 2013, while studying at the University of Malawi, she founded Bien Corporation Africa, a digital and business solutions company that helps brands strengthen their digital presence. She later established the Ntha Foundation, a nonprofit focused on education, innovation and youth development.

Read Story
African Giant of the Week: Thebe Ikalafeng, Building a Stronger African Brand
African Giant

African Giant of the Week: Thebe Ikalafeng, Building a Stronger African Brand

What if Africa could change the way the world sees it, not by waiting for someone else to tell its story, but by becoming better at telling its own? That question sits at the heart of the work of Thebe Ikalafeng, a South African branding strategist, entrepreneur, author and leading voice in Africa’s brand and identity conversation. Born and raised in Kimberley, South Africa, Ikalafeng has spent decades working at the intersection of branding, marketing, leadership and African development. He is the founder and chairman of Brand Africa, an organisation established to strengthen Africa’s brand, identity and influence while encouraging Africans to recognise the value of what the continent creates.

Read Story
African Giant of the Week: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
African Giant

African Giant of the Week: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Before he became one of the most recognisable faces in global public health, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was working much closer to the ground studying malaria and helping deliver health services in Ethiopia. Today, he is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), the first person from the WHO African Region to lead the organisation. His journey from a field-level malariologist to the head of the world's leading public health agency has taken him through medicine, government, diplomacy and international health policy.

Read Story
African Giant of the Week: Rebecca Enonchong.
African Giant

African Giant of the Week: Rebecca Enonchong.

Africa’s technology story is not only being written by the startups making headlines. It is also being shaped by people who have spent years building the businesses, networks and opportunities that allow those startups to thrive. One of them is Rebecca Enonchong, a Cameroonian technology entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of AppsTech, a global provider of enterprise application solutions. Enonchong founded AppsTech in 1999 in the United States, at a time when technology entrepreneurship was still a largely unfamiliar path for many Africans, particularly African women. The company went on to serve clients across more than 40 countries, establishing Enonchong as a notable figure in the global technology space. But her impact extends far beyond the company she built.

Read Story
AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: NDIDI OKONKWO NWUNELI, THE WOMAN REIMAGINING AFRICA'S FOOD FUTURE
African Giant

AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: NDIDI OKONKWO NWUNELI, THE WOMAN REIMAGINING AFRICA'S FOOD FUTURE

Dr. Nwuneli is a Nigerian entrepreneur, social innovator, author and development leader whose work has spanned entrepreneurship, leadership development, agriculture and food production for more than two decades. But at the heart of much of her work is a question that matters deeply to Africa: How can Africans create more value from what they already have? That question has shaped Nwuneli’s remarkable journey. After beginning her career at McKinsey & Company, she returned to Nigeria and became the pioneer Executive Director of the FATE Foundation, where she worked to support emerging entrepreneurs. In 2002, she founded LEAP Africa, an organisation focused on developing a new generation of African leaders. Her work later took her deeper into one of the continent’s most important sectors: food and agriculture.

Read Story
AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: GRACE OFURE, FROM OKRIKA SELLER TO REAL ESTATE AND WEALTH CREATION POWERHOUSE
African Giant

AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: GRACE OFURE, FROM OKRIKA SELLER TO REAL ESTATE AND WEALTH CREATION POWERHOUSE

Grace Ofure Ibhakhomu is one of Nigeria's most inspiring business leaders, proving that humble beginnings do not have to determine how far a person can go. From selling second-hand clothes, popularly known as okrika, in open markets to becoming a major name in real estate and wealth creation, her journey is one built on determination, learning and strategic thinking.

Read Story
AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: DR. GABRIEL OGBECHIE, THE ENTREPRENEUR WHO BUILT AN INDIGENOUS ENERGY GIANT
African Giant

AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: DR. GABRIEL OGBECHIE, THE ENTREPRENEUR WHO BUILT AN INDIGENOUS ENERGY GIANT

Dr. Gabriel Ifeanyi Ogbechie, OON, is one of Nigeria’s notable entrepreneurs whose journey from a young production engineer to the founder of one of the country’s leading indigenous downstream oil and gas companies reflects determination, calculated risk-taking and long-term vision. Born on May 28, 1966, Gabriel Ogbechie studied Production Engineering at the University of Benin. He began his professional career as a factory engineer before moving to PricewaterhouseCoopers and later joining Ascon Oil, where he headed the Sales and Operations Unit. His experience in the oil and gas industry eventually gave him the confidence to pursue a business of his own. .

Read Story
African Giant of the Week: Dr. Nizar Chaari, the Man Who Turned the Microphone into a Movement
African Giant

African Giant of the Week: Dr. Nizar Chaari, the Man Who Turned the Microphone into a Movement

Every origin story has a room. For Dr. Nizar Chaari, it was a small studio at Radio Sfax in Tunisia, where he began his media career in 1993. He was a young broadcaster with a microphone and a growing understanding of the power of listening, conversation and giving people a voice. He did not know it then, but that studio would become the starting point for a journey that would eventually take him from Tunisian broadcasting into youth leadership across Africa.

Read Story
AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: HAFSAT K. ABDULLAHI
African Giant

AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: HAFSAT K. ABDULLAHI

Hafsat Abdullahi, popularly known as Havfy, is a Nigerian spoken word artist, writer, actor, voice actor and youth advocate who has built a reputation for using poetry to address social issues affecting women, girls and young people. Through her performances, she has become one of Africa's most recognisable spoken word artists, using her platform to promote education, gender equality, peacebuilding and social justice. Born and raised in northern Nigeria, Havfy's upbringing played a significant role in shaping her work. Growing up in a community where opportunities for girls were limited, she witnessed issues such as gender inequality, child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and barriers to education. These experiences inspired her to begin writing poetry that challenges harmful social norms and advocates for the rights of women and girls. She has often cited Nigerian poet Niyi Osundare as one of the people who inspired her journey into poetry.

Read Story
African Giant Of The Week:Sandra Aceng
African Giant

African Giant Of The Week:Sandra Aceng

Sandra Aceng is a Ugandan gender and ICT researcher, policy analyst, writer, Wikimedian, and digital rights advocate whose work has become instrumental in shaping conversations around technology, gender equality, and human rights across Africa and beyond. Through years of research, advocacy, and policy engagement, she has established herself as one of the continent's leading voices championing a safer, more inclusive digital ecosystem where women can thrive without fear of discrimination, harassment, or violence

Read Story
AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: BUKAYO SAKA
African Giant

AFRICAN GIANT OF THE WEEK: BUKAYO SAKA

Born on September 5, 2001, in London to Nigerian parents of Yoruba descent, Saka grew up in a family that valued discipline, education, and hard work. He joined the youth academy of Arsenal F.C. at the age of seven and progressed through the club's ranks before making his senior debut in 2018. Since breaking into Arsenal's first team, Saka has become one of the club's most influential players. His versatility allows him to play in multiple attacking positions, while his pace, creativity, technical ability, and decision-making have made him one of the standout performers in the English Premier League. He has played a key role in Arsenal's return as one of England's top football clubs and has earned several individual honours, including England Men's Player of the Year on multiple occasions.

Read Story