The African Coalition for Development will officially unveil the 2026 ACD 50 Under 50 honorees on September 1, 2026.
Fifty African and diaspora leaders recognized for credible leadership, measurable contribution and the work they are doing to move communities, sectors and institutions forward.
The Class of 2026 brings together founders, innovators, public leaders, advocates, educators, creators and community builders from across Africa and the global African community. The page is organized by recognition category so visitors can understand not only who was honored, but the country, organization and impact behind each recognition.
Select a category or search the full class. Every profile includes country, organization or platform where available, and the official recognition rationale.
Founder and CEO of Kouran Jabo, expanding pay-as-you-go solar access to thousands of households and tens of thousands of people.
Founder and CEO of era92 Group, creating jobs and preparing thousands of young people in underserved communities for work and entrepreneurship.
Built community savings, proximity-banking and financial-inclusion systems serving unbanked communities through RAVEC and BCECOLOANS.
Founder of Farmflex, using agricultural intelligence, sensors and analytics to improve hydroponic and aquaponic farming.
Founder of Zaidi App, a digital backbone for waste collection, household mapping, payments and waste-worker performance.
Developed a hybrid wind-solar microgrid designed to provide dependable clean power for underserved communities and rural health facilities.
Engineer behind WaterBank, an autonomous solar-powered water utility combining filtration, predictive maintenance and cashless access.
Founder of Technovera/Pelebox, using smart medicine lockers to improve chronic-medication access across Southern African communities.
Developed a solar-powered automated vermicomposting device that helps village banks and smallholder farmers convert waste into fertilizer.
Serial tech entrepreneur; co-founder of Savvy and Publiseer, expanding entrepreneurship support and digital publishing opportunities across Africa and beyond.
Co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries, building advanced robotics, drones and autonomous security systems from Nigeria for African and global markets.
Founder of LabZero, a low-bandwidth virtual mammalian cell-culture laboratory expanding biomedical training while reducing cost and laboratory waste.
Founder of DawaMom, a maternal and reproductive-health platform combining community health workers and diagnostic technology to support women.
Co-founder of Tech4Dev and Ashoka Fellow connecting underserved African youth to digital skills, outsourcing and employment opportunities.
Co-founder of Jangalma, a personalized learning platform reported to serve more than 200,000 learners.
Founder of AREAi, building alternative learning hubs and education models for displaced and out-of-school children in crisis-affected communities.
Founder of Our Past Initiative, using arts, dialogue and education to engage young Rwandans in reconciliation and historical understanding.
Founder of Social Coding, expanding coding, STEM, digital literacy, connectivity and teacher support in rural schools.
Uses sport as a development tool, linking sport, education, livelihoods, youth skills and social equity through multi-country initiatives.
Founder of Refugee Basketball Academy, using basketball, mentorship and education to support refugee and marginalized youth.
Founder of Safe Engage Foundation, working to prevent FGM, child marriage and gender-based violence while supporting women and girls.
Founder of Invictus Africa and creator of data-driven tools including the Womanity Index to strengthen policy responses to gender-based violence and inequality.
Founder of Flone Initiative, making public transport safer and more inclusive while expanding opportunities for women in the transport sector.
Founder of Sisterly HQ, connecting tens of thousands of Nigerian women to jobs, internships, scholarships, stories and skills-development opportunities.
Founder of the Doris Mollel Foundation, improving prevention, care, equipment, training and policy for premature infants.
Built Renal Roads, a mobile dialysis solution designed to bring life-saving renal replacement therapy closer to rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Founder of Dentalcare Foundation, delivering free dental care and oral-health education to tens of thousands of people and children.
Founder of Cocoa360, linking cocoa-community economies with health and education through a community-financed development model.
Physiotherapist and inclusion leader providing locally made pediatric wheelchairs and rehabilitation support for children and people with disabilities.
Founder of ImpactHER, supporting more than 203,000 women entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries through investor-readiness, mentorship, market access and business support.
Leader at Swahili Coast Farms, combining eco-friendly oyster farming, marine biodiversity restoration and jobs for women and youth.
Mental-health advocate, Ndinewe Foundation founder and Cambridge researcher advancing youth psychosocial support, autism research and suicide prevention.
Founder and CEO of Food for Education, serving nutritious school meals to more than 500,000 public primary-school children daily in Kenya.
Founder of World Refuge Film Academy, training refugees in film production so displaced communities can tell their own stories and challenge stereotypes.
Founder and CEO of The Good News, a positive-news platform reaching millions monthly and connecting young people to learning and leadership opportunities.
Digital strategist and founder of Give A Girl Child A Pad, using media reach and large-scale sanitary-pad distributions to address period poverty.
TV presenter and journalist at Global Africa Telesud, conducting high-profile interviews and reaching a large pan-African television audience.
Political journalist and presenter of Channels Television's Politics Today, advancing public-interest journalism, democratic accountability and direct questioning of officials.
Co-founder and CEO of Birthright AFRICA, connecting young people of African descent with African heritage, leadership and educational experiences.
Founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, pioneering air-ambulance and medical-logistics systems to close emergency-care access gaps.
Entrepreneur and clean-water activist who co-founded cleanacwa and has worked to expand water and sanitation access in Ghanaian communities.
Youth-governance leader who has helped train more than 1,000 young leaders across 11 African countries and strengthen youth representation in government.
Senior public prosecutor working across criminal investigations, courtroom litigation and criminal-law reform related to crimes against humanity.
African Union sustainable-development and G20 advisor advancing climate action, inclusive growth, institutional coordination and Africa's role in global governance.
Public-sector digital-transformation leader and co-founder of Cabo Verde Digital, working on telecom, startup ecosystems and national digital policy.
Youth, peace and security practitioner strengthening conflict-resolution capacity and youth-inclusive policy processes at African Union and United Nations levels.
Human-rights lawyer and nonprofit founder advancing youth and women's rights, protection for human-rights defenders and anti-discrimination advocacy.
Diplomat working on regional cooperation, peace and security, open government, capacity building and youth civic participation.
Founder and Executive Director of Youth on Sustainable Development, advancing youth participation in Agenda 2030, Agenda 2063 and sustainable-development policy.
Co-founder and Global Director of BudgIT, simplifying public budgets and spending data to strengthen citizen participation, fiscal transparency and accountability.
Nominate an African or diaspora leader whose leadership, innovation, service or measurable impact deserves consideration for the next ACD 50 Under 50 class.
