61 Powerful African Influencers To Follow On Instagram

Social media has become a great platform for influence, motivation, and advertising!

We’ve rounded up the top 61 African influencers on Instagram based on four categories:

1. Fashion
2. Beauty
3. Fitness

Comment if you think we missed someone that deserves to be mentioned on this list!

Before we dive into this monster post, depending on what stage you’re at in your influencer journey, here are a few additional resources for you:

• Influencer Resume/Pricing Example
• FREE 3-Day Course: Become An Instagram Influencer
• FULL Course: Make Money As An Influencer
• FREE 7-Day Course: Make Money Blogging
• FULL Course: Start A Money Making Blog
• WIN INFLUENCER COURSES: Become An Affiliate

FASHION INFLUENCERS

1. Sarah Langa – @sarahlanga

Based in Jozi, Sarah Langa is a 23-year-old student, wife, and ambassador for big names, including Vince Camuto, Brutal Fruit, and Stylista. On her website, she shares her passions for travel and fashion, frequently updating her readers on recent trips and fashion shows.

Something that draws my attention to this woman is how her life is already together. By 23 you are a successful blogger, very educated and already married! What a way to break traditional expectations!

2.  Aisha Baker – @bakedonline

Aisha Baker is a Muslim influencer, wife, and mother, as well as the founder of the popular blog, BakedOnline. She writes about style, beauty, lifestyle, and family, covering a wide range of topics, from how to style a pregnancy bump during Ramadan to how to get the best results from bronzers.

Most parts of Africa do not allow Muslim women to have equal opportunities like men. Aisha being a female Muslim blogger inspires other female Muslim to do whatever makes them happy and that is what makes me adore her and her work.

3. Aqeelah Harron Ally – @fashionbreed

Featured numerous times in the pages of Marie Claire, Elle, Glamour, Grazia, Cosmopolitan as well as many online platforms, Aqeelah is a successful writer, stylist, influencer, and the creator of Fashion Breed, her blog that she lovingly refers to as her “online canvas” brings you into her world where no outfit is too much, no article is too lengthy, and every city is a gem.

I love her style! She makes any outfit possible and beautiful. Anything can be fashionable if styled properly in her eyes.

4. Melody Molale – @ilovemelmo

A graduate of the University of Johannesburg with a degree in corporate communication, Melody Molale is one busy fashionista. A lover of everything fashion, she’s taken on many roles within the field, including styling, fashion photography, designing, and representing brands such as Brutal Fruit as one of the Goji Influencers.

Her style inspires me!

5. Afua Rida – @afuarida

Afua Rida is a fashion stylist, blogger consultant and runway show producer that’s passionate about global fashion and Africa’s influence on the fashion world. Her website combines her portfolio and unique stylings as well as her personal blog about whatever strikes her fancy.  

Her African fashion is to die for. She makes me love African culture more and more!

6. Mihlali Ndamase – @mihlalii_n

Mihlali Ndamase is a makeup artist, beauty blogger, and co-founder of Siyasizana Foundation.

Her lifestyle is just goals: Clothes, makeup, body… Goals! Goals! Goals!

7. Anerlisa Muigai – @anerlisa

She tops our list of the most inspirational transformations. The CEO of Executive Water stunned the masses when she went down almost 60 kgs! Some of us out here are struggling to lose just one kg, proving that it’s not an easy task to do but she did it! She now posts images of her incredible fashion sense with her new body! 

8. Moss Onyi – @mossonyi

Moss Onyi is a fashion, travel and lifestyle blogger who moved to the UK in order to advance her career as a chartered account. However, she is now a full-time blogger and is based in Manchester, UK. She also works as a photographer and, since late 2017, runs the Moss Onyi blog with her husband, Craig Moss.

Her unique taste in fashion will leave you dreaming of a place far, far away, where you can get lost in a world that only dreams are made of.

9. Hadiza Lawal – @wodenblends

Hadiza Lawal blogs at Woven Blends, a fashion, and food blog that offers reviews, recipes and affordable style tips to its audience. Lawal’s mission is to bridge the gap between style and food because “food is clearly stylish.” She launched the blog in 2015 due to popular demand to share her secrets and is now dedicated to sharing both her Nigerian and intercontinental style dishes, personal style and lifestyle content.

Her page can turn you into a fashionista and a foodie!

10. Grace Alex – @t2pitchy

She initially started her blog in 2011 as a way to help her through her depression. Her open and honest online diary helped her connect with others who could relate to what she was going through and, since then, she has worked with big brands like Google, Clinique, Daniel Wellington, New Look, and ASOS, among others.

I love her for her transparency about her battle with depression and how she willingly helps people overcome depression. Such a role model!

11. Sharon Mundia – @this_is_ess

For quite a while, Sharon has been the go-to gal when it comes to fashion matters. She has different and exciting ways to wear one piece of clothing.

I love her because she’s a sweetheart personally and to her followers and never lacks content on her blog which is so successful that it was rated amongst the best in Africa.

12. Silvia Njoki – @silvianjoki

She has won and been nominated for several awards for her blog Style by Silvia. Her biggest achievement yet has been being nominated for Favorite African Blogger at the 2016 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award where she was nominated alongside other top fashion bloggers from the continent.

She created the blog in 2013 as she experimented with different looks on her daughter, who was also born that year, but it gradually evolved into a more fashion-oriented vehicle for sharing her personal style on the social media scene.

Just so you know how serious Silvia is about fashion, she actually studied fashion styling at University of the Arts London, and Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano, Italy. As a fashion writer, she has contributed to the ARISE Magazine, London, the Standard Media Group and present day, she writes for Nation Media Group. Silvia Njoki is also the founder of Style Yetu.

13. Joy Kendi – @justjoykendi

Joy Kendi revealed in one of her interviews, that she had been struggling with dyslexia, which was so brave of her to admit. She makes the big chop look so effortless and chic and the fact that she has a banging body and is a gorgeous girl makes it easy for anyone to keep scrolling through her pages; whether Instagram, her Youtube or her blog, you’ll never get tired of Just Joy Kendi’s feeds!

Especially if you’re a fashion lover and a foodie as well, she is the girl for you! She also has life hacks under her DIY section.

14. Nancie Mwai – @nanciemwai

Nancie has a degree in Marketing but has always loved fashion and dreamt of becoming a professional fashion designer.

Not only does she have tips for style and fashion lovers, she also has tips for bloggers, regardless of what they write about.

15. Lamic Kirabo – @lamickirabo

Lamic’s Third Local is the essential blog for African Clothing Styles. This Ugandan fashion blogger actively supports local designers and gives them a platform to showcase their work.

She can always be seen wearing such designs at important events. Mixing African and western styles to make her statements, she certainly makes excellent fashion choices!

16. Thithi Nteta – @travelgirlboss

Thithi has been an African fashion blogger for a while now. She has been featured in the South African Cosmopolitan magazine in the “Next gen Startups” as a rising star.

Her blog illustrates African fashion to perfection! Follow her if you want to be in the know about what’s trending in Afro fashion. 

17. Winnie Awino – @winniethefashionista

Bursting with energy, this blogger knows how to get her message across: blossoming is free.

Through her fashion and beauty tips, she does not hesitate to help her readers with her good mood and daring fashion sense.

18. Kiran Yoliswa and Alae Ismail – @styledbyafrica

The Zimbabwean duo, Yoliswa and Eritrean Ismail, met at Queen Mary University of London in 2007. They launched Styled by Africa, an online store, in 2013 as a way of using fashion to support African manufacturing and encourage sustainable growth. The pair visits African countries, scouring for different brands to add to the growing list of favorites in their store. Apart from the online store, they also have a life and style blog.

The blog features amazing pictures of different fashion outfits being modeled. The duo also offers suggestions to their clients/visitors how best to combine fashion pieces. They recently opened a brick and mortar store in Pop Brixton, London. Additionally, Ayiba Magazine covered the duo in a piece last year.

I love their passion for African style.

19. Assa Cisse – @mycurvesandcurls

Originally from Mali, Assa Cisse currently blogs from Toronto, Canada. She founded her blog, Ciaafrique, in November 2008 in a bid to create an avenue where information about African fashion labels could be found. At the time she started her blog, she was working as a human resource professional but eventually left this to focus exclusively on blogging.

Ciaafrique features fashion reviews, interviews, lookbooks, style journies, spotlights, and celebrities’ style. You can also submit a designer to her directory, and she also has a shop. She started her second blog My Curves & Curls in 2012, where she shares her personal style, hair, beauty, thrift finds, shopping deals, and style tips.

20. Velma Ross and Papa Petit – @2manysiblings

The duo, Velma and Papa Petit, are brother and sister, hence the name 2manysiblings. They founded their blog in 2013 out of a need to document their love for clothes and how the everyday African lived in them. The blog showcases the personal style of the siblings and serves as a curation space for art and photography. Of particular appeal to the siblings’ fashion sense is a mixture of mainstream clothing, vintage pieces, and Kenyan items.

The blog has evolved into a collaborative process between the siblings and African photographers who show off their aesthetics by using the siblings as muses. It is contributing to the conversation of encouraging the outside world to see Kenya and the rest of Africa in an appreciative light by using positive imagery.

21. Gabrielle Mwangi – @tribeofchic

Mwangi is edgy and one of the best female bloggers in the fashion space, no doubt about that.

The content on her blog, which has evolved from fashion to include natural hair and styling, gives her audience a comprehensive understanding of fashion. After all, fashion is not just about clothes – it is the outfit and how you style it, with or without accessories, from head to toe.

22. Lucia Musau – @luciamusau

Lucia is among the most stylish female fashion bloggers in Kenya. She blogs about fashion, lifestyle and hair, and beauty. Her fashion advice is focused on street fashion with occasional elegant high-end fashion tips. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons she won the 2016 BAKE Best Fashion Blogger Award.

Her fashion sense is impeccable. 

23. Shirley B Eniang – @shirleybeniang

Shirley’s Wardrobe was born when Shirley decided that she wanted to write about her love for fashion and beauty and to express her passions by creating aesthetically pleasing photography. She started a YouTube channel as a video equivalent around the same time and has been posting fashion, beauty and lifestyle content, reaching an audience of 1m+ across all platforms.

Her main goal is to inspire and empower women to make the most out of life, encourage them to embrace their inner beauty and motivate them to take care of their outer beauty too. Through top brand collaborations and partnerships, she has been able to create engaging content and drive online social conversations on topics that matter to the modern woman. 

BEAUTY INFLUENCERS

24. Jackie Aina – @jackieaina

At the top of this list is Jackie Aina, a Nigerian-American with a large YouTube following who is bound to take over the world with her wit and beauty. She’s so fun to watch, but make sure your budget is intact because she’ll definitely leave you wanting to buy every product she uses! At 1.6 million YouTube subscribers, Jackie is the real deal.

I just love the way she influences people with her blog posts. She can really move a crowd if I may say!

25. Nyma Tang – @nymatang

Nyma Tang is a Texas-based beauty blogger, originally hailing from South Sudan. In her short and impactful videos, she explores which makeup brands have shades that will work for the darkest skin tones. One of her videos has a whopping . 2.6 million views! 

26. Ronke Raji – @ronkeraji

Ronke Raji is a Nigerian beauty blogger whose attention to detail is truly unmatched. The gorgeous MUA recently caused quite a stir on social media alongside her equally-stylish bae when their photos from a breathtaking fashion shoot went viral. She also made her NYFW debut in September.

27. Dimma Umeh – @dimmaumeh

Dimma’s eyebrow tutorial—which is more of a makeup do’s and don’ts than a full-on tutorial— is the best one around. Cheers to making scary eyebrows a thing of the past, and to helping makeup make sense to those of us who don’t use much of it, but still want that firm know-how.

28. Nikki Perkins – @jamieandniks

Nikki Perkins is a Sudanese-Australian model and lifestyle vlogger, whose sister Duckie is a successful high fashion model and most recently appeared in Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty campaign. She’s detailed her struggles to find her shade of makeup in Australia on her blog, so she was naturally excited to find a Fenty Beauty shade that matched her flawless skin perfectly.

29. Toni Olaoye – @toniolaoye

We’ve never seen anyone execute doll-like makeup magic as fast and as stunning as Nigerian beauty blogger Toni Olaoye. Although she is most known for her signature dramatic looks, she can also tone it down without skipping a beat.

30. Patricia Bright – @thepatriciabright

Patricia Bright is a British Nigerian who’s charming, funny and amazing in the makeup department. With 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, all you really need to know is that you’ll have a blast watching her do her thing. She is gold.

31. Cynthia Gwebu – @cgwebuofficial

A South African beauty blogger who’s on the rise, Cynthia Gwebu’s videos have a unique quality that keeps her audience coming back. She’s also known for using products that viewers can access right in Cape Town.

32. Melanain Rich Nyajal – @melaninrichnyajal

Melanain Rich Nyajal is another South Sudanese, US-based beauty blogger who enjoys showing dark-skinned women with beautiful complexions similar to her own how to enjoy makeup. She also does great hair reviews.

33. Joanna Kinuthia – @joannakinuthia

Is a good role-model because she shares her journey throughout the past couple of months and shows us her transition from looking exceptional to looking superb, she has worked with the best and worst makeup products and taught us that cheap is expensive.

34. Yasmin Af – @ya7ska

Yasmin comes through for our hijabi sisters! She’s always experimenting with her makeup, using daring shades of color on her lip, eye-shadow, eyeliner, and highlighting her face. She never fails to amaze us and keeps it edgy and fun.

35. Wabosha Maxine – @wabosha_maxine

She is a young beauty blogger who gives advice, especially to young adults, on how to apply makeup for different occasions such as school or those fancy dinner dates!

36. Nomsa Madida – @nomsamadida

A popular makeup artist on Instagram, Nomsa is known mostly for doing makeup for personalities such as Boity Thulo and Pearl Modiadie. Madida is the creator and owner of Xlcusive MakeUp Events.

37. Ezinne Alfa – @beautyinlagos

Lagos blogger Ez states that she wanted to break the “cycle of secrecy” in Lagos! There is love in sharing, and just because somebody goes to the same beautician you go to, that shouldn’t be a threat at all.

She even went as far as to launch Nigeria’s first online beauty directory: The BiL Directory. She is also well known for nail-art aficionados.

38. Aisha O’Reilly – @aishaandlife

Aisha is a Tanzanian woman living in Joburg who runs the informative blog Aisha & Life.

Between being an expectant mom and newly-wed, Aisha’s blogging is consistent and crucial for natural hair returnees and people looking for beauty tips of the less flashy variety. Her blog is also very personal and gives insights into her life. Definitely one to bookmark immediately.

I love her blog because it is perfect for ladies with natural locks.

39. Nekwaya Nalitye Iileka – @lipsticknafros

Nekwaya is a 25-year-old attorney from Windhoek, Namibia, who loves makeup and beauty.

Her blog is a beauty diary, where she rants or raves about all her favorite beauty buys. Her blog isn’t limited to makeup, she also does posts on natural hair care.

40. Theodora Mogo – @misstheo_doranne

Theo embodies the term “hottie with a body”. Her petite frame, sexy curves, and bold features make her eye candy for everyone who cares to look. Her style is definitely sexy. She loves body-hugging, figure-flaunting pieces that make our closets shy. Her makeup is never overdone, it’s very subtle and enhances her natural beauty.

41. Kelechi Mgbemena – @kelechick_m

Tall, dark and beautiful are the three things we use to describe Kelechi. Her love for beauty and style always shines through. We are huge fans of her fun makeup tutorials, but can we get a refill on those fashion looks?

42. Lola OJ – @lolaoj

Lola’s retro-chic style gives us goosebumps. She loves to show off her tomboyish side and switches up her hair game to follow suit. From hats to sneakers, she’s got all the wardrobe essentials that make her a follow-worthy style star!

43. OmabelleTV – @omabelle

Omabelle, a Nigerian based in New Jersey, shares her struggles of dealing with adult acne and shows people who use makeup how to enhance their beauty. Her acne coverage foundation routine is one of her most popular videos she’s uploaded.

44. Kangai Mwiti – @kangaimwiti

Kangai Mwiti is Kenya’s top beauty YouTuber and she uses models to illustrate her makeup artist techniques. Her ultimate goal is to create a media company that uses video to tell stories by and for Africans. One of her most popular videos focuses on makeup for the Eid al-Adha holiday.

45. Lovette Jallow – @lovettejallow

Lovette Jallow is an entrepreneur hailing from Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, who recently became the largest dark-skinned beauty YouTuber in Sweden. She goes back to Gambia twice a year and always vlogs. Her YouTube channel has made her an expert on makeup for black women in Sweden. Her account is private which is a risky move, but in her particular case, it has added exclusivity to her content.

46. Khadijat Sanni – @peakmill

Khadijat Sanni started her channel reviewing wigs and expanded to makeup. Now people seek out her in-depth wig tutorials that explain how to transform cheap wigs into luxurious hair pieces. Her most popular makeup videos feature transformations that she describes as “beating the hell out of my face.” She recently joined the exclusive club of having more than 1 million subscribers.

FITNESS INFLUENCERS

47. Jane Mukami – @fitkenyangirl

Jane is a renown fitness coach and nutritionist in Kenya. She is also an author of nutrition books, such as Eat Right To Get Your Body Tight, Cleanse Your Body, 10-day Detox, and Eat Clean Get Lean… all about matters of body fitness and health.

48. Lucy Muthuri – @lucymuturii

Lucy apart from being a human resource consultant, she is also a model, a fitness and nutrition expert, and a fitness blogger. She battled with weight issues in the past which is why she’s passionate about helping people who have similar problems and helping them transform their lives through fitness.

49. Brenda Midamba – @brenda_midamba

Brenda was the winner of the Best Health Blog according to the Bloggers Association Of Kenya (BAKE) Awards in 2016 and has been on numerous publications and news channels talking about health and fitness.

50. Zee Ntshiks – @Teamhlasela

Zee Ntshiks is a weight-loss consultant, fitness junkie, and self-made healthy home cook.

51. Letshego Zulu and Khethiwe Mlangeni – @popupgym

Letshego Zulu and Khethiwe Mlangeni started a Pop Up Gym that promotes a healthy and active lifestyle. They travel around and show that fitness is fun and can be done in various ways.

52. Anne-Marie Burugu – @annemarieburugu

Anne proves to many that age is just but a number. Scrolling through her Instagram can make you ashamed of yourself for panting like a hippo when walking up the stairs! Her workouts range from intense 45-minute spin classes, power yoga to strength training. It’s quite evident that her hard work has paid off because her body is tight and structured.

53. Mitchelle Adagala – @ac_mitchelle

Her page is perfect for the curvy-fit girl. She mainly posts about strength and bodyweight training and her progress photos where she has been able to build muscle in her glute area. Her waist to hip ratio will leave you scavenging for your exercise attire and racing to your nearest gym. Her account is an inspiration for the curvy femmes.

54. Tallia Oyando – @talliaoyando

This TV and radio presenter shows great dedication in her work out which always seem to be very intense, she even does boxing. She posts short clips of a combination of her daily exercises. These workouts are helpful and can be a guide for beginners on simple workouts to do while at home.

55. Wanjiru – @thedivaoflift

She’s a millennial whose own transformation took her down a path of competing in a female body-building competition. She doesn’t post too much about her workouts but more of her physic. She is all about motivating people to get fit.

56. Joan Ball Burgess – @jo1bermudian

She was one of the judges in the Kenyan dance show “Sakata” and is a certified yoga teacher and dancer. She occasionally posts mini-videos showing some simple yoga moves but if you peruse through her page you’ll see lots of pictures of her doing renowned yoga poses. If yoga is something you’re looking to start, then she’s the one to go to.

57. Marjolein Blokland – @miss_blokland

The former Nairobi Diaries reality star is a personal trainer and specializes in Muay Thai and Pole Dance.

Pole dance can be quite a controversial way to exercise, however, she has been able to open people’s minds up to the idea. It requires a lot of strength to support yourself on the pole and in an interview she said it builds any woman’s self-esteem.

Muay Thai is a boxing workout which originates from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques and works as a perfect cardio exercise.

58. Yvonne Bulimo – @iamvonneyb

The former Tujuane TV host is the true definition of black girl magic. She has recently started a fresh new line for work out clothes dubbed “Zoezi” and we are loving it! She doesn’t post her workouts, instead, she posts about her fit lifestyle. On her business page @zoezisport, she posts cute workout outfits.

59. Nyaguthii Ndungu – @justnyaguthii

She’s a fitness enthusiast with another Instagram page called @he_lifts_she_lifts where she posts regular strength workouts you can do alongside your partner at the gym. She’s a heavy lifter and lives by her motto “what a man can do, a woman can do”.

60. Hlubi Mboya Arnold – @hlubimboya1

Hlubi Mboya needs no introduction – not only is she a leading woman in business, entrepreneur, and actress, but she is an extraordinary athlete; stepping on stage to compete, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and finishing the Absa Cape Epic. Hlubi represents a different kind of fit and healthy, showing people that fitness can be enjoyed through various activities like cycling, hiking, yoga, and weight training.

Her incredible energy and the passion with which she shares her message with the world cannot be ignored. She thrives on adventure and constantly applies herself to be better and achieve what most would be scared to attempt.

61. Mapule Ndhlovu – @queenfitnass

Mapule is a personal trainer and fitfluencer impacting thousands of lives through her workouts and positive attitude. Her workouts are fire, her attitude is contagious and she knows just how to get us motivated to never skip a gym session! Mapule is the queen of fitness in South Africa and there’s no stopping her. Her positive voice and presence in the industry changes lives through health and wellness and that’s something we can get behind!

Who else would you recommend to this list?

Comment below!!!

 

Mitchelle Phyllis Wangui is currently a senior majoring in Public Relations at Daystar University in Nairobi. She is a LadyBossBlogger blogging intern and runs the @LadyBossBlogger.Swahili page on Instagram.