by a Foreign Policy Magazine

30. Kofi Annan

for his ceaseless work to create Africa's Green Revolution.

Former u.n. secretary-general | Alliance for a green revolution in AfricA | Ghana

Two years after ending his term as what U.S. über-diplomat Richard Holbrooke once dubbed "the best secretary-general in the history of the U.N.," Annan has a new mission: turning Africa green. "Africa is the only region where overall food security and livelihoods are deteriorating," he declared in 2007, vowing to create "an environmentally sustainable, uniquely African Green Revolution." And though many a development project has tried to boost agriculture on the continent, this time the formula is different: Annan is promoting small family farms rather than trying to mimic the industrialization of the West. That will mean a push for ag-friendly policies on a continent where corrupt leaders have typically turned their attention to more lucrative resource wealth while starving a generation of African farmers. As well as leading the Green Revolution, Annan has also served as mediator in the violent aftermath of Kenya's elections and been chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's leadership prize committee. One would expect nothing less from a man once dubbed a "rock star of international relations."

76. George Ayittey

for pushing policymakers to let Africa help itself.

Economist | American University | Washington

Ayittey, a Ghanaian economist and head of the Free Africa Foundation, has spent his career trying to convince the world that Africans, not aid workers, will set Africa right. Enough already with the victim complex, he argues: Let's get to work. That philosophy has never been more relevant than in 2009, when the debate over international assistance kicked into high gear. If it were up to Ayittey, the world would go beyond reforming the distribution of aid and gradually do away with handouts altogether. Aside from charity's ineffectiveness, he notes, "[T]he presumption that Africans don't know what is good for them and that Americans or other foreigners know what is best for Africans is extremely offensive."

Best idea: Rotate the U.N. General Assembly meetings. Hold the next one in Iran, Libya, North Korea, Venezuela, or Zimbabwe.

Worst idea: The gift of an iPod by President Obama to the Queen of England. Gadget: Twitter and iPhone.

Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/30/the_fp_top_100_global_thinkers?page=0,30