THE executive team and selection committee of the Most Influential People of African Descent, MIPAD, has unveiled the third category (Media & Culture) of the MIPAD global 100 for Class of 2018.

The announcement was made on June 25 in Los Angeles, on the sidelines of the BET Awards Weekend. The award recognizes excellence in people of African descent from over 50 countries worldwide in support of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD) 2015 – 2024.

And, in-line with the 1st pillar of the decade; RECOGNITION, MIPAD set out to recognize 200 high achievers: 100 based in Africa, and 100 based in the Diaspora across four categories; Politics & Governance; Business & Entrepreneurship; Media & Culture; Humanitarian & Religious, annually until 2024.

Selected based on their social media following, achievements and awards, notable personalities who made the list are well known African names such as Eloine Barry, CEO, African Media Agency (Senegal), renowned actress like Omotola J. Ekeinde (Nigeria), super model Mariah Idrissi (Morocco), award winning designer Virgil Abloh of Louis Vuitton (Ghana), soccer stars of African Descent featuring in the ongoing World Cup 2018 in Russia and there are also those in the Diaspora with ancestry links to Africa such as NFL super star Colin Kaepernick (USA), rap sensations Emicida (Brazil), Kendrick Lamar (US), the cast and directors of Black Panther and Jerry Tuwai, Fiji National Team Captain notable for leading his team to win the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018.

“With their trailblazing achievements in film, music, performing arts, fashion, sports and journalism, our Media & Culture honorees are impacting popular culture, changing the narratives about Africa and its diaspora and showcasing there is excellence in black worldwide,” says Kamil Olufowobi, founder of MIPAD.

“MIPAD is creating a platform for the unification of all people of African descent worldwide. And, through this platform, we are fostering global collaborations between high-achieving individuals in the politics, business, media and humanitarian sectors for the glory of Africa and it’s Diaspora. Our mission with MIPAD is to build a global network of civil society actors to join together and support the implementation of the IDPAD as proclaimed by the UNGA Resolution 68/237,” Olufowobi concluded.

The 4th and final category, of the Most Influential Global 100 Class of 2018 featuring honourees who have made great strides in humanitarian field, will be released on July 18 2018, as part of the 100th year anniversary of the birth of great leader and visionary Nelson Mandela.

Please join us in congratulating the 2018 MIPAD honourees for their contributions to societies around the world for their resilience and strength in the face of adversity, BRAVO!

– Jul. 2, 2018 @ 14:45 GMT |