The World Economic Forum (WEF), in partnership with the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), has announced the 2026 cohort of the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Aliko Dangote Fellows, highlighting a new generation of African leaders committed to expanding opportunities and strengthening institutions across the continent.
The fellowship serves as a critical bridge between Africa’s emerging changemakers and the global Young Global Leaders network, fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and sustainable development. The YGL Aliko Dangote Fellowship supports high-impact African leaders by enabling their full participation in the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL) programme and broader WEF activities.
WEF said the 2026 YGL Aliko Dangote Fellows represent diverse professional backgrounds spanning healthcare, technology, entrepreneurship, and advocacy across sub-Saharan Africa. The newly selected fellows are Dr. Esperance Luvindao; Charlot Magayi, founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves; Rewa Udoji, founder of Cranstoun; Dr. Stephen Modise; Dr. Musa Kika; Hatim Eltayeb; Kemi Lala Akindoju; and Vimbai Masiyiwa.
With a strong emphasis on empowering women leaders, the fellowship is designed to support Africans shaping solutions to pressing social and economic challenges while strengthening leadership capacity across key sectors.
Over the past 14 years, the Aliko Dangote Foundation-powered fellowship has supported more than 130 young African leaders, providing access to Davos meetings, executive education opportunities, and influential peer networks that amplify African voices on the global stage.
Commenting on the announcement, Fatima Aliko Dangote, Trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and Group Executive Director, Oil & Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, described the 2026 fellows as “leaders who will expand opportunity and strengthen institutions, advancing Africa on its own terms.”
She added: “Africa’s future will be defined by the strength of its people. When the right leaders — especially women — are empowered and given a global voice, they do not just lead; they reshape what is possible. That is why we invest in people: because it is the surest path to lasting global prosperity, stability, and self-determination. The 2026 cohort embodies this vision.”
According to her, the 2026 YGL Aliko Dangote Fellows represent future leaders who will expand opportunities and strengthen institutions, advancing Africa on its own terms while helping define a world whose future will be shaped by the continent.
She explained that the idea behind the YGL Aliko Dangote Fellowship is to cultivate, empower, and support exceptional African leaders under 40, ensuring they have the resources to participate in the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders community. It specifically aims to accelerate their impact on the continent and globally.
Details of the new fellows in the announcement indicated that Hatim Eltayeb is the Chief Executive Officer of the African Leadership Academy, strengthening one of the continent’s most important leadership institutions; Dr. Esperance Luvindao is Namibia’s Minister of Health and Social Services, combining clinical experience with digital health and grassroots innovation; Charlot Magayi is the Kenyan founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves, linking clean energy, public health, and livelihoods; while Dr. Stephen Modise is Botswana’s Minister of Health, bringing a data-driven approach to public health reform.
Dr. Musa Kika, Executive Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, is using law to defend constitutionalism and civic space; Rewa Udoji is the Nigerian artist and finance professional whose work bridges culture, capital, and women’s economic literacy; Kemi Lala Akindoju is the Nigerian producer and actor helping reshape the creative economy through talent development, financing, and more grounded storytelling; while Vimbai Masiyiwa, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Batoka Africa, is building a tourism model rooted in sustainability, community ownership, and women’s empowerment.
Together, they reflect the range of leadership the fellowship is designed to support — public leaders, entrepreneurs, institution-builders, and cultural actors already shaping systems in different ways.
It would be recalled that the Aliko Dangote YGL Fellowship has supported more than 90 fellows from over 25 African countries, enabling full participation in the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders programme through access to convenings, executive education, peer networks, and global platforms.
Over that period, fellows have taken part in more than 400 engagements across annual meetings, regional summits, and learning modules, contributing to debates on finance, climate, health, technology, and governance.
