In a ceremony marked by fanfare, cultural pageantry, and a palpable sense of continental pride, the third edition of the Time Africa Magazine Annual Publication, the Who’sWho Africa Bibliographical Compendium, was officially unveiled on November 14, 2025 at the Nigeria National Merit Award House in Abuja. The event drew diplomats, scholars, innovators, and policymakers from across the continent, celebrating what many attendees hailed as “Africa’s Great Book”—a richly curated record of the continent’s most distinguished individuals.
The 350-page compendium, which has grown in scope and ambition since its inaugural edition, features meticulously researched biographical profiles of over 300 Africans—past and present—whose work, influence, or legacy has shaped the continent’s political, cultural, scientific, economic, and artistic identity. With glossy archival photographs, contemporary portraiture, and a design aesthetic that blends modern magazine fluidity with the gravitas of a historical record, the book has been described by its editorial board as “a bridge between Africa’s memory and Africa’s future.”
One of the most closely watched sections of the volume—“Africa’s Greatest of All Time”—names individuals considered by the compendium’s curators as the most impactful in the continent’s postcolonial and pre-modern history. Among those included are Nelson Mandela, honored for his transformative leadership and moral authority; Kwame Nkrumah, celebrated as a vanguard of African independence and Pan-Africanism; Wangari Maathai, the Nobel laureate who championed environmental justice; Haile Selassie, recognized as a symbol of African sovereignty; and Chinua Achebe, the literary titan who gave African storytelling a global voice.
The compendium also highlights contemporary figures seen as shaping the 21st-century African experience. These include Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; Trevor Noah, acclaimed comedian and cultural commentator; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state; David Adjaye, the globally celebrated architect; and Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s revered legal reformer.
Beyond the GOAT list, the volume offers detailed biographical entries on a diverse slate of individuals across business, science, social advocacy, technology, literature, and sports. This year’s edition profiles figures such as Amina J. Mohammed (Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations), Aliko Dangote (industrialist), Caster Semenya (athlete), Ory Okolloh (tech entrepreneur), Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Nigeria’s President), Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana’s president), Strive Masiyiwa (philanthropist), Prof Philip Emeagwali (Nigerian computer scientist), Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (author), Salim Abdool Karim (epidemiologist), Huda Abason Oleru (Ugandan legislator), and Binyavanga Wainaina (writer and activist), among many others.
Speaking at the unveiling, Time Africa Magazine executive editor Chidipeters Okorie described the compendium as “a continental gift to posterity,” stressing its importance as both an educational tool and a cultural archive. “Africa’s story has too often been told from outside,” he said. “This book is part of the ongoing correction—an effort to document our heroes, thinkers, makers, and trailblazers through African eyes.”
The Abuja launch concluded with a panel discussion on the role of biographical documentation in shaping continental identity, followed by a public exhibition of selected portraits from the book.
The compendium is now available across major African capitals and online through Time Africa Magazine’s official distribution partners.
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