BBC business editor Larry Madowo on Tuesday sarcastically responded to the New African Magazine after he was named among the top 100 most influential Africans in 2018.

In a tongue-in-cheek statement, Madowo questioned the credibility of the magazine after being accorded the recognition.

“Wait, even I was named among the 100 Most Influential Africans 2018!

“I’m not worthy, obviously, so how did that happen? Clearly New African Magazine’s standards have really fallen,” read the tweet.

Other who shared the spotlight with the former NTV reporter were veteran Kenyan journalist Catherine Gicheru and Nima Elbagir.

The magazine revealed that a gender balance of 50-50 was achieved with this year’s list an achievement that had never been attained before.

Africans with African descent

New African Magazine described the appointment of Madowo by BBC as an ambitious move aimed to showcase the growing interest in covering African news.

The magazine’s editor Anver Versi, explained that the increase of Africans with African descent shone a positive light in the continent.

“This is a clear indication of the wealth of talent that our continent possesses and shows that given the slightest opportunity, our men and women can eclipse their peers worldwide in their chosen fields of endeavour,” remarked Versi.

According to New African Woman, which is a sister publication of the New African Magazine, pointed out that the criteria used in obtaining the final list is based on the influencer’s public, social and political dialogue instead of popularity.