The 2025 Forbes 30 under 30 with Ghanaian heritage
We scoured the list to bring you the young pioneers with Ghanaian heritage that Forbes magazine has recognised in 2025. How many do you recognise?
Forbes 30 Under 30 is an annual list published by Forbes magazine that recognises 30 promising individuals under 30 in various industries. These individuals are nominated and then selected by Forbes editors, independent judges, and industry experts.
Joel Bervell - Forbes 30 under 30 - (USA) Social Media
Content Creator, Snohomish, Washington
If you didn’t know his name, I am sure you recognise his face. This is Dr Joel Bervell, a Ghanaian American whose myth-busting videos about racial bias in medicine went viral - earned him the name the ‘Medical Mythbuster’.
One of his most memorable videos for me was explaining that the pulse oximeter, which is used to measure a person’s blood oxygen level, can can overestimate oxygen levels on people with darker skin. And can you imagine, this device was one of the tests used during COVID-19 to decide whether people needed to go to the hospital!
Joel graduated from medical school Washington State University, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, earlier this year and has a BA from Yale University in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology, and a Masters in Medical Science at Boston University. He is also the host of ‘The Dose’ Podcast with The Commonwealth Fund.
Caitlyn Kumi - Forbes 30 under 30 - (USA) - Marketing and Advertising
Founder, Miss EmpowHer, Brooklyn, New York
Caitlyn is founder of Miss EmpowHer, a digital media company that generates more than 1 million monthly impressions from young women through online content and community events. She is also a full-time integrated marketing manager for brand activation and engagement at Google.
Khadija Serwaah Owusu - Forbes Africa 30 under 30 - (Ghana)
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AKAYA Foundation, Medical Doctor and International Speaker
Khadija leads in initiatives to promote youth empowerment and gender equity. Her work provides health education, mentorship, and thousands of essential supplies to girls, breaking down barriers to education and leadership.
Free The Youth - Forbes Africa 30 under 30 - (Ghana)
Jonathan Coffie, Kelly Foli, Richard Kweku Ormano are the co-founders of Free The Youth
Free the Youth is a collective of young creatives that is inspired by street-style fashion and culture. The collective includes a fashion brand, creative agency and NGO all tasked with empowering Ghanaian and African youths.
5.Darlington Ahiale Akogo - Forbes Africa 30 under 30 - (Ghana)
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, minoHealth AI Lab
Darlington is the founder of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Healthcare system for Medical Diagnostics and Evidence-based Healthcare. His aim is to use AI to democratise access to quality, affordable healthcare for all.
6.Jackline 'Gyakie' Acheampong - Forbes Africa 30 under 30 - (Ghana)
Singer-songwriter
Award-winning R&B and afro-fusion singer Gyakie aka Song Bird is celebrated for releases including ‘Love is Pretty’, ‘Never Like This’ and her five-track EP ‘Seed’. She is the daughter of Highlife stalwart Nana Acheampong.
7. Karlon Bonsu, Kevin Bonsu - Forbes Europe 30 under 30 - Art & Culture (UK)
Karlon and Kevin Bonsu, also known as the Flag twins, are from Peckham in London.
The twins’ rise to fame in the fashion and modelling world began when they were spotted in a Diesel store by the company’s president. Since then, they made their debut at Milan Fashion week and have collaborated with international fashion houses including Armani, Christian Louboutin, and Calvin Klein. The pair launched a biannual print magazine in 2021 and since 2024 have collaborated with Missoma to launch a jewellery collection.
8. India Amarteifio - Forbes Europe 30 under 30 (UK) - Entertainment
India Amarteifio is best known for her starring role in Netflix's ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’, which earned her the 2024 NAACP Image Award for "Best Leading Actress in a Drama Series". She is due to star in the coming-of-age romance: ‘Into The Deep Blue’.
9. Joshua Amissah - Forbes Europe 30 under 30 (Switzerland) - Art and Culture
Art Curator, Gaze Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland.
Joshua is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, curator, and art dealer whose work examines power structures in visual culture, exploring themes of representation, identity, and systemic narratives within contemporary art. In 2023, Joshua curated their first photography book, Black Masculinities and prior to that in 2020, curated ‘Black Art Matters’, which is considered to be Switzerland’s largest photography exhibition exclusively showcasing works by over 70 Black photographers.
If we’ve missed anyone with Ghanaian heritage from this list, DM us or email us at akadimagazine@gmail.com and we will update this list.
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