Inspiration
NICKY OPPENHEIMER
Nicky Oppenheimer is a South African businessman and philanthropist, born on June 8, 1945. He is best known for his family's long-standing association with De Beers, the diamond mining company founded by his grandfather, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. Nicky Oppenheimer served as the chairman of De Beers from 1998 to 2012 when the family sold a significant stake in the company to Anglo American, relinquishing control of De Beers.
Aside from his involvement with De Beers, Oppenheimer has interests in various other sectors, including agriculture, private equity, and wine farming. He owns Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, one of the largest private game reserves in South Africa, which is dedicated to conservation efforts and sustainable tourism.
In addition to his business endeavors, Oppenheimer is actively engaged in philanthropy. He established the Brenthurst Foundation, a think tank focused on economic development and governance in Africa. The foundation aims to generate innovative ideas and policy recommendations to address challenges facing the continent.
Nicky Oppenheimer is widely regarded as one of South Africa's most influential businessmen, known for his business acumen, commitment to conservation, and philanthropic efforts aimed at promoting sustainable development in Africa.
MO IBRAHIM
Mo Ibrahim, is a Sudanese-British billionaire businessman. He worked for several telecommunications companies, before founding Celtel, which, when sold, had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries. After selling Celtel in 2005 for $3.4 billion, he set up the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to encourage better governance in Africa, as well as creating the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, to evaluate nations' performance. He is also a member of the Africa regional advisory board of London Business School.
In 2007 he initiated the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, which awards $5 million to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents and democratically transfer power to their successors. Ibrahim has pledged to give at least half of his wealth to charity by joining The Giving Pledge.
According to the Forbes 2023 Billionaire List, Mo Ibrahim is worth $1.2 billion. Mo Ibrahim was also selected for the TIME "Top 100" list in 2008 and was ranked first in the annual Powerlist of influential Black Britons.
https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/
Adopted from Wikipedia.org
STRIVE MASIYIWA
Strive Masiyiwa is a prominent Zimbabwean entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of Econet Wireless, one of Africa's leading telecommunications companies. Born in Zimbabwe in 1961, Masiyiwa studied electrical engineering in the United Kingdom before returning to Zimbabwe to start his own business. He faced significant challenges in establishing Econet Wireless due to regulatory hurdles and opposition from established telecommunications companies. However, through perseverance and legal battles, Masiyiwa succeeded in launching Econet in 1998, which became the first cellular network in Zimbabwe. Since then, he has expanded Econet's operations across Africa and beyond, diversifying into various sectors such as financial services, renewable energy, and healthcare. Masiyiwa is also known for his philanthropic work, particularly through his family foundation, which focuses on education, healthcare, and leadership development across Africa. He is widely respected for his business acumen, leadership, and commitment to improving the lives of people in Africa.