--- description: Find out why Wanjira Mathai is one of the 100 most influential people of 2023. title: Wanjira Mathai: The 100 Most Influential People of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcd2db227060584d/698a3be809208f09c041a41a/wanjira-mathai-time100-2023-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 13, 2023 # Wanjira Mathai by Andrew Steer  Courtesy World Resource Institute Wanjira Mathai fights for justice and the future of Africa. Her weapons are sharp analysis, a love for people, irresistible persuasion, and a huge smile that makes it impossible to say no. For over a decade, I have watched Wanjira work her magic in rural communities and international halls of power alike. Throughout she has focused on restoration—of land, livelihoods, and communities. As a managing director at the [World Resources Institute](https://www.wri.org/ "undefined") and chief Africa adviser to the [Bezos Earth Fund](https://www.bezosearthfund.org/ "undefined"), she is shaping NGO and philanthropic work on the continent, directing attention, research, and funding to helping the most climate-vulnerable places and communities. She has led the iconic Green Belt Movement, pioneered investment in women entrepreneurs in renewable energy, and is driving a movement to restore 100 million hectares of African land. How does she do it? Wanjira would say the secret may lie in the African concept of _ubuntu._ Our shared humanity, working together, is what allows us to change the world. _Steer is the president and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269986/wanjira-mathai/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269986/wanjira-mathai/"},"headline":"Wanjira Mathai","datePublished":"2023-04-13T10:32:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:05.098Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269986/wanjira-mathai/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","sponsorshipblock","TIME100 2023","t100booking2023"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcd2db227060584d/698a3be809208f09c041a41a/wanjira-mathai-time100-2023-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdcd2db227060584d/698a3be809208f09c041a41a/wanjira-mathai-time100-2023-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269986/wanjira-mathai/","name":"Wanjira Mathai"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 | The 100 Most Influential People of 2023","description":"See all the people on Time's 2023 Time 100 list","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/P6RIsapV/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-04-13T10:30:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/P6RIsapV.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269986/wanjira-mathai/","duration":"PT1M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269986/wanjira-mathai/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```