Asa is a Nigerian-French singer-songwriter who mixes soul, pop, folk, and reggae elements into her music. She was born in Paris to Nigerian parents and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. She released her debut album, “Aṣa”, in 2007 and has since released four more albums. She has toured extensively throughout Africa, Europe, and North America and has collaborated with a number of artists, including John Legend, Common, and Damian Marley. She is known for her soulful voice and her introspective lyrics.
Danai Jekesai Gurira, is a US-American actress, activist, and playwright. She is a strong advocate for women’s and girls’ equality. Gurira’s parents are originally from Zimbabwe, and she began her acting career in 2004 with a role in the TV series “Criminal Intent. Her breakthrough came in the film “The Visitor” in 2007, where she portrayed the character Zainab, an illegal immigrant. Her career includes notable theater performances. Gurira’s play “Eclipsed” featured Lupita Nyong’o and became the first play on Broadway with an all-female and black cast and creative team. Gurira’s acting career includes roles in films such as “The Visitor,” “Ghost Town,” and “Black Panther,” where she played Okoye, leader of the Dora Milaje.
She co-founded Almasi Arts, an organization focused on arts education in Zimbabwe, and founded the non-profit organization Love Our Girls. She partnered with Johnson & Johnson in the fight against HIV/AIDS and was announced as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2018, advocating for gender equality and women’s rights.
Bernard Pascal Maurice Lama is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. As a member of the France national team, he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000.
Sol Campbell rose through the ranks and achieved international acclaim early in his career, growing into one of the best defenders of his generation.
In his 5 years and 195 appearances at Arsenal, he won two Premier League titles and two FA Cup titles, including the 2001–02 league and FA Cup double. He was part of the team that became known as The Invincibles for their undefeated 2003–04 Premier League campaign.
Idrissa Akuna Elba OBE is an award-winning actor, producer, director and humanitarian who has secured his reputation as one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. He was appointed UN Goodwill Ambassador for IFAD in April 2020 and has also recently created a number of youth-focused campaigns to promote education and learning and discourage violence.
Sabrina Dhowre Elba is an Afro-American model and actress who is most recognized because of her marriage with the famous British actor, Idris Elba. She has established herself as a successful model and has been featured in renowned fashion magazines like Vogue and Harrods.
Cyrille Bolloré is a French businessperson who has been at the helm of 12 different companies and currently holds the position of Chairman-Supervisory Board of Sofibol SCA, Chairman & Co-Chief Executive Officer at Bolloré SA, Chairman at Bolloré Energie SAS, Chairman at Blue Élec SAS, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer for Bolloré Transport & Logistics Corporate SAS and Chairman-Management Board at Compagnie du Cambodge SA (which are all subsidiaries of Sofibol SCA) and Chairman of Fédération Française des Pétroliers Indépendants.
He is also Chairman for Bolloré Energie SAS and on the board of 20 other companies. He previously held the position of Member-Management Board at Société des Pipelines de Strasbourg SARL, Chairman of Société Française Donges-Metz SA, Chairman of Bollore Africa Logistics SAS and Chairman of Bolloré Logistics SE. He received a graduate degree from Université Paris Dauphine-PSL.
Ambassador AlQahtani is the current UAE Ambassador to Rwanda since June 2018 and the current Non-Resident UAE Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo since November 2020.Prior to this posting, he was Advisor in the Department of African Affairs in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation.
British politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield since 2001. A member of the Conservative Party, Mitchell was previously the MP for Gedling from 1987 to 1997.
Joakim Noah is a former professional basketball player. Born in New York, Noah was a member of the French national team and played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007.
Kevin Hart is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
Winston Duke is a Tobagonian actor. He made his feature film debut in the role of M’Baku in Black Panther (2018) and is best known for portraying the character in four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
J.M. Ledgard is a British born novelist and an expert in advanced technology, nature, and risk in emerging markets. He also works with conceptual artists.
Zurab Pololikashvili is a Georgian politician and diplomat, currently serving as Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization. From 2005 to 2009 he was Georgian deputy Foreign Minister, and he served as ambassador to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra.
Audrey Azoulay is a French civil servant and politician who has been serving as the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization since 2017, becoming the second female leader of the organization.
Anders Holch Povlsen is a Danish billionaire, CEO and sole owner of the international retail clothing chain Bestseller, a company founded by his parents. He is the largest shareholder in the British internet fashion retailer ASOS and second-largest in German internet clothing retailer Zalando.
Larry Green, CEO and co-founder of System Pavers is on the Board of Trustees for the African Wildlife Foundation. Green’s work revolves around broadening awareness of the issues currently facing Africa’s wildlife and wildlands and furthering conservation and fundraising efforts worldwide.
Nick is a Partner at FS Investors and the Vice President for TPG Capital, one of the world’s largest private equity funds. He is the Lead director of Wilderness Safaris, an ecotourism operator that operates camps and mobile safaris across 7 countries including Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. He is extremely passionate about Rwanda and its people, and deeply committed to growing Wilderness’ positive impact in the region, through conservation tourism.
Innocent Dusabeyezu has served in Volcanoes NP since 2007 as a ranger/tracker
He gained his reputation as a passionate, hardworking and collaborative individual with special gorilla monitoring skills.
In 2023 he was selected by VNP staff as the best performer, and was awarded by the RDB leadership.
He plays a central role in coordinating field communications ensuring collaborative links with RDB staff and partners.
Ineza Umuhoza Grace is the founder and CEO of the Green Protector, a women-led nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing active youth participation in creating a better and protected environment. She is also the co-founder of another youth-focused environmental advocacy organization, the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition. Ineza believes in the power of sharing community voices in the pursuit of climate justice. She was recently announced as a 2021 USAID #WaterOurImpact winner and previously recognized as a 2020 National Geographic Young Explorer.