Four musicians make 100 Most Influential African Women list

The annual list is compiled through a public nomination process by the Ghanaian PR and rating company. It ranks women from 34 countries who are leading various initiatives across the continent, and seeks to present them as role models for the younger generation.

Avance Media said Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana recorded the highest number of women with 20, 11 and 9 representatives, respectively. Kidjo and Sangaré make it on the list for the second time in succession while Sinach and Alade appear on the list for the first time. The four musicians have been added under the entrainment category.

"They were selected because of their incredible achievements as women, and they deserve high recommendations among other female trailblazers in Africa," Avance Media managing director Prince Akpah said.

Sangaré appears on the list because "she writes and composes her songs, which often include social criticism, especially concerning women's low status in society." Avance Media said Kidjo's inclusion on the list is based on her devotion to global charity work through UNICEF, Oxfam and her own Batonga Foundation, which aims to empower and educate adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Alade appears on the list for having signed a multi-year licensing deal with Universal Music in 2019 while Sinach made it on as the first African artist to top the Billboard Christian Songwriters chart.

Nominations for next year's 100 Most Influential African Women list are open, and the public is encouraged to nominate the most accomplished female musicians here. The selection criteria is based on excellence in leadership and performance, personal accomplishments, commitment to sharing knowledge, and breaking the status quo.

The only other musician to appear on the 100 Most Influential African Women list is award-wining Burundian singer Khadja Nin in 2019.

Meanwhile, Sinach's song ‘Way Maker’ has been nominated by the Gospel Music Association ahead of the 2020 Dove Awards for Song of the Year, Spanish Language Recorded Song of the Year (as recorded by Priscilla Bueno), and Worship Recorded Song of the Year (as recorded by Leeland). The winners will be announced on 30 October.