Young African icons in Forbes' 30 Under 30 List

Forbes’ 30 under 30 list is an "annual encyclopedia of creative disruption," which features young people making waves in industries including but not limited to tech, commerce, media, art, food, policy, and entertainment.

Madina Nalwanga

17-year-old Ugandan actress and star of Queen of Katwe

A casting director in a community dance class discovered Nalwanga before landing her lead role in Disney's "Queen of Katwe." Madina won the NAACP Image Award, and a Women Film Critics Circle Award and Critics Choice Award nominations.

Kofi Siriboe 23-year-old Ghanaian actor and model

Kofi Siriboe is an American born to Ghanaian immigrants. He is an actor and a model and starred as Ralph Angel Bordelon in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Queen Sugar.

He has also posed for brands including True Religion and Barneys New York.

Robert Kabera

Robert is native of Rwanda, where he and his family lived through the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. His family later re-settled in Memphis, Tennessee. Robert founded alternative credit rating agency Credimarks, with the objective of helping to extend credit into traditionally underserved markets. The 29-year-old has helped over 50 energy companies in 9 countries provide cleantech to 6,000 people living off the electricity grid.

Tsion Gurmu

Tsion Gurmu provides pro bono legal help and social support for black LGBT refugees fleeing anti-homosexuality legislation in their home countries. She also focuses on refugees affected by HIV/AIDS.

Iyore Olaye

Olaye is lead product development engineer at Walker and Company, the tech company creating beauty products for people of color, including men's grooming brand Bevel and haircare line FORM. Iyore is known for strong technical abilities and marketing talent.

Lilly Workneh

Lily is an immigrant from Ethiopia. She is a Senior Editor for Huffington Post's Black Voices and manages both its editorial and social content, tripling reach in her tenure.

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Iyinoluwa cofounded two successful startups in Africa before launching Flutterwave in 2017. With $15.7 million in funding, the payments company is empowering Pan-African merchants to execute business on global scale, processing $1.2 billion in transactions so far. Aboyeji’s previous startup Andela, gained attention when the venture received $24 million in funding from Mark Zuckerberg.

Awol Erizku

Awol was born in Ethiopia and raised in the South Bronx. He is best known for shooting the artful Instagram photo of Beyoncé announcing she was pregnant with twins in early 2017.