Nigeria’s business tycoon, Tony O. Elumelu and his beloved wife, Awele Vivien Elumelu have been announced as honourees in the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list by TIME Magazine for the transformative work of their Tony Elumelu Foundation across Africa.
The TIME100 Philanthropy full list released Thursday was about the influential people shaping giving globally in 2026.
Tony, together with his physician wife, Awele, is one of the world’s most energetic philanthropists, leading efforts on the continent of Africa especially on youths and entrepreneurship.
While introducing this year’s TIME100 Philanthropy, Sam Jacobs, Editor in Chief of TIME said the list was overseen by Ayesha Javed, working alongside editors and correspondents around the world.
“We winnowed an initial pool down to 100 individuals representing the most compelling stories in philanthropy today, in a field that moves more than $1 trillion globally each year,” Jacobs said.
“By telling stories about the world’s most influential givers, leaders, advocates, and thinkers, we hope to inspire others to give, and to consider the profound impact that this field has on our future,” he added.
The Elumelu –who in 2015 pledged $100 million to young African entrepreneurs and have provided mentorship and a seed grant of $5,000 each to more than 27,000 entrepreneurs– is sharing the spotlight with British actor, Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba.
The actor and philanthropist, on December 29, 2025, was named in King Charles’ New Year Honours list, joining 1,156 others recognized that day.
Also on the honourees’ list are tycoon Michael and Susan Dell, who recently undertook one of the largest charitable commitments ever made by Americans to their fellow citizens.
The couple is entrusting $6.25 billion to 25 million American children.
These couples joined other 97 most influential people shaping the future of giving at a pivotal moment.
For the Elumelu, their profile, titled “Seeding African entrepreneurship” was written by Harry Booth, a reporter at TIME and has been reproduced below:
Pledging $100 million to African entrepreneurs that would benefit a cohort of 1,000 recipients each year for a decade, struck Tony Elumelu and Awele Vivien Elumelu as a bold commitment in 2015. By the third year, hundreds of thousands of people were applying. “We set out to democratize luck,” says Tony Elumelu, the Nigerian economist and banker. The overwhelming demand, he adds, meant they were now in the business of “dashing hopes.”
