Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, the chairman of the youth-focused Modern Democratic Party, has been named among the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent in 2019, under the United Nations international decade for people of African descent.
Appearing in the Religious and Humanitarian section, the philanthropist and political leader joins an impressive list of honorees such as Rukirabasaija Rukidi IV, the reigning Omukama of Toro, Uganda; Naomi Osaka, reigning US Open women’s champion; songwriter and record producer, Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye; award-winning media entrepreneur, Uche Pedro; actress and comedian, Tiffany Haddish and Aquaman star, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Speaking on the announcement, Bukunyi expressed his appreciation about the award, while also recognising the strength and influence of new and inspiring African voices that continue to drive the global culture, change the African narrative and inspire confidence and action in those working daily and silently to develop and improve their communities.
In December 2018, Bukunyi’s contribution to Nigerian politics was also a feature in a Forbes Africa magazine article. Currently, the new Modern Democratic Party is reported to have more than 65,000 members.
The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) is a unique global list that identifies 100 outstanding individuals under 40, pairing those based outside Africa in the Diaspora with their counterparts inside Africa across Politics & Governance, Business & Entrepreneurship, Media & Culture, and Humanitarian & Religious.
It is primarily set up to build a progressive global network of civil society actors to join together and support the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly and now officially recognized by the African Union (AU).
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