Here are the six most influential Africans according to the 2018 TIME 100 list

These personalities have stepped up to major tasks in their own rights but in very different roles.

Appearing on the list is often seen as an honor, Time magazine makes it clear that entrants are recognized for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions.

Individuals or a group of people are exclusively chosen by TIME editors with nominations coming from the TIME 100 alumni and the magazine's international writing staff.

Meet the six Africans named in Time's 100 most influential people of 2018.

Emmerson Mnangagwa

Mnangagwa came to power in November last year following military intervention that ended 37 years of President Robert Mugabe’s rule, the first seven as Prime Minister.

He is listed in the leaders category, with the write-up on him by Zimbabwean activist, Evan Mawarire.

Mawarire says "the elation that greeted the end of Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign naturally enough transformed into hopes for his successor".

Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for being the host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central since September 2015.

On Trevor Noah who is listed in the pioneers category, Hollywood actress Lupita Nyong'o writes "a fantastic storyteller, he has always been a defier of rules, which he broke simply by being born in his native country. At The Daily Show, which he has truly globalised, Trevor seeks out comedians of colour in every possible venue, no matter how small".

Elon Musk

The world's most famous inventor – born in South Africa, where he lived till the age of 17. Entrepreneur, innovator, inventor, activist and founder of PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla and OpenAI, he is changing the world with his inventions.

"Suppose that in the year 3000, TIME publishes the 100 most influential people of the millennium. Who from our generation would make the list? Elon Musk has a shot", says Yuri Milner,the founder of DST Global.

Nice Nailantei Leng’ete

Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, 21 years young, has bravely broken taboos on female genital cutting, condoms, sexually transmitted diseases and other controversial health issues in her hometown of Kimana, Kenya.

Nice is an extraordinary example of young African girls standing up for themselves. After the loss of her parents, she could have given up and followed the norm, knowing that challenging attitudes in male-dominated communities can get you cast out. But instead, she fought to get an education so she could help change the sociocultural structures that continue to impede women’s lives and well-being says Dukureh, CEO and founder of Safe Hands for Girls.

Virgil Abloh

Virgil Abloh is an American fashion designer of Ghanaian descent who has been the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear collection since March 2018.

Artist Takashi Murakami, an Abloh collaborator who made a case for the designer, wrote, “Kids’ fervor for the stripe patterns and arrow marks he created for his fashion label, Off-White, is not a passing trend; rather, it shows how Virgil’s young followers, with their unclouded eyes, have been seeing right into the core of his creativity all along.”

Kehinde Wiley

Kehinde Wileyis a contemporary African-American painter known for his distinctive portraits. His subjects are often young black men and women, rendered in a Photo Realist style against densely pattered backgrounds.

He was born in Los Angeles, California to a Nigerian Yoruba father and an African-American mother. Wiley identifies as gay.

In October 2017, it was announced that Wiley had been chosen by Barack Obama to paint an official portrait of the former president to appear in Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Kehinde Wiley is a classically, formally trained artist who is transforming the way African Americans are seen—going against the grain of what the world is accustomed to. Some consider him irreverent; I see an iconoclast. Some of his subjects come from hip-hop culture, but he’s not a hip-hop painter. To put it simply, he does dope sh-t, says LL Cool J, an actor and Grammy-winning musician