For the second time, Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Refinery, on Wednesday was again named among TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2026. In 2014, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation, authored a short essay about him on the magazine website.
Dangote was recognized among other influential figures across multiple sectors of the global economy, including business, politics, culture, religion, and entertainment.
Also on this year’s list are US President Donald Trump; Chinese President Xi Jinping; Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister; and Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister.
Others are Pope Leo XIV, as well as business and technology leaders such as Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer (CEO) of Google and Alphabet, and Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube.
Dangote, who is recognised for his African industrial drive, is the only Nigerian on the list and features in the titans and innovators category.
Other honourees in the category include Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis II mission to the moon; Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet; and Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube.
Also listed under the category are Michael and Susan Dell, founders of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and Ralph Lauren, American designer and founder of Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa (UBA), who hailed Dangote on the TIME website, described him as “indefatigable, resilient, and foresighted,” hailing him as one of the greatest African entrepreneurs of the modern era.
Elumelu said Dangote’s business footprint, spanning cement, sugar, and oil, demonstrates the capacity of Africans to create value using local resources on the continent.
He particularly referenced the recent launch of the Dangote Refinery, describing it as Nigeria’s largest and a significant milestone in advancing industrialisation in Africa.
Reflecting on Dangote’s influence, Elumelu noted that he often draws inspiration from him during challenging moments, adding that the billionaire entrepreneur’s success is matched by his humility.
“He has inspired a generation of entrepreneurs, continues to inspire his friends, and can always be counted on to return a phone call,” Elumelu said.
Both business leaders, according to him, share a common belief in driving Africa’s development from within, with Dangote’s dedication standing out as exemplary.
“A great man, creating a great legacy,” he added.
Sam Jacobs, editor-in-chief of TIME magazine, said there is no single metric that defines the influence of the people on the list.
“Our selections are led by the stories that are shaping the world each year and the people who write them,” he said.
“Some are well known to many, others only within their fields. To find them, we poll our editors, reporters, and sources around the world and review the recommendations that are sent to us every day.”
Jacobs said only a few people will be familiar with the entire individuals on the list, adding that “this is part of the appeal of the TIME100, now well into its third decade, and the reason it has endured.”
“In recent years, we’ve been busy growing the TIME100 community by focusing on the areas we believe shape the future—including AI, climate, health, and philanthropy, as well as emerging fields in which individuals, such as digital creators, are playing an outsize role,” he added.
Below is the list of 100 people on the list.
Artists
Luke Combs (by Ed Sheeran)
Jennie (by Gracie Abrams)
Keke Palmer (by Brian Grazer)
Noah Wyle (by LeVar Burton)
Dakota Johnson (by Taylor Swift)
Jafar Panahi (by Nazanin Boniadi)
Claire Danes (by Jesse Eisenberg)
Benicio Del Toro (by Paul Thomas Anderson)
Jonathan Groff (by Sutton Foster)
Ranbir Kapoor (by Ayushmann Khurrana)
Tayari Jones (by Imani Perry)
Noah Kahan (by Marcus Mumford)
Anderson Paak (by Natasha Lyonne)
Rhea Seehorn (by Britt Lower)
Coco Jones (by Jaylen Barron)
Freida McFadden (by E.L. James)
Titans
Zoe Saldaña (by James Cameron)
Ben Stiller (by Bob Odenkirk)
Aliko Dangote (by Tony Elumelu)
Scottie Scheffler (by Tony Romo)
Anok Yai (by Chanel Iman)
Ralph Lauren (by Oprah Winfrey)
Lynsey Addario (by Katie Couric)
Susan Dell and Michael Dell (by Ray Dalio)
Sundar Pichai (by Andrew Ng)
David Ellison (by Jerry Bruckheimer)
Precious Matsoso and Anne-Claire Amprou (by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala)
Lip-Bu Tan (by Harry Booth)
Innovators
Nikki Glaser (by Chris Rock)
Hilary Knight (by Malala Yousafzai)
Vikas Khanna (by Eric Ripert)
Lando Norris (by Paris Hilton)
Mashama Bailey (by Kamala Harris)
Matthieu Blazy (by Margaret Qualley)
Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (by Billy Perrigo)
Noah Lyles (by Willy Chavarria)
Yiyun Li (by Salman Rushdie)
Tony Tyson (by Risa Wechsler)
Cao Fei (by Miuccia Prada)
John Furner (by Brian Niccol)
Jeremy Allaire (by Denelle Dixon)
Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari (by Kyla Mandel)
Luciano Moreira (by Scott O’Neill)
Neal Mohan (by Belinda Luscombe)
Sabrina Walter (by Anna Mutavati)
Icons
Wagner Moura (by Jeremy Strong)
Kate Hudson (by Mindy Kaling)
Alysa Liu (by Bowen Yang)
Hilary Duff (by Nicole Richie)
Alan Cumming (by Lisa Kudrow)
Sterling Brown (By Kristen Bell)
Ethan Hawke
Chloe Kim
Shirin Ebadi
Walter Hood
Victoria Beckham
Rauw Alejandro
Kica Matos
Leaders
Pope Leo XIV
Claudia Sheinbaun
Marco Rubio
Donald Trump
Mark Carney
Zohran Mamdani
Xi Jinping
Sanae Takaichi
Benjamin Netanyahu
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
Steve Witkoff
Gavin Newsom
Gwynne Shotwell
Balendra Shah
Susie Wiles
Tarique Rahman
Mark Kelly
Heather Gerken
Dan Caine
Henna Virkkunen
Rafael Mariano Grossi
Mette Frederiksen
Jacob Frey
Fatih Biro
Pioneers
Dolores Huerta
Reid Wiseman
Josh D’Amaro
Mamadou Amadou Ly
Nancy Silverton
MrBeast
Mariangela Hungria
C Wei
Lauren Hersh
Rachel Foster
Shannon Minter
Zabib Musa Loro
Sarah Friar
Kiran Musunuru
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas