British actor and DJ Idris Elba is planning to leverage technology to benefit a West African country. According to CNN, Elba is looking to build a “smart eco-city” on Sherbro Island, an island off the southwestern coast of Sierra Leone. Elba is acquainted with the area as his father was born in the country, and the English actor became a citizen himself after a visit in 2019, per BBC. The efforts surrounding Sherbro Island are being undertaken through a collaboration between Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP), a U.K.-registered company, and the Sierra Leone government to improve the area’s economic state, the island’s website mentions. Elba is also co-founder of SAP, spearheading the venture. “At some junction, my business partner Siaka Stevens, the grandson of the former president, said, ‘Look, someone needs to cultivate Sherbro Island for tourism.’ That was seven years ago,” Elba explained to CNN. “Where we are now is that we partnered with the government to figure out a plan of how...

It appears that Idris Elba is on to his next venture — owning a big media business. The actor and businessman is in talks of joining Miroma Group — a global marketing firm — for its estimated £1B ( $1.2 billion) bid to buy British broadcaster Channel 4, according to Deadline.

Throughout the course of his career, Idris Elba has been many things. As AfroTech previously reported, the actor’s most recent title was “Knight.” In 2016, he was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for his “services to drama.” He was granted the OBE in the New Years Honours, so his proper title is “Sir Idris Elba, People Magazine’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive. ” He’s also been a producer, a director, and an investor in various projects such as a genderless skincare line. He’s inked a book deal with HarperCollins, negotiated a contract with Crunchyroll, and even proposed a way to hold social media trolls accountable for their actions. But before he did all that, he was involved in the cannabis business. And according to Complex, no less of an authority than Dave Chappelle, dropped the proverbial dime on the Internet’s favorite fantasy James Bond casting. As it turns out, Chappelle disclosed Elba’s previous side hustle on the ever-noxious Joe Rogan podcast, wherein the...

Idris Elba isn’t just a prince — he’s a real-life knight, as well. A little-known fact about the longtime Afro-British actor is that in 2016, he was named an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for his “services to drama.” He was granted the OBE in the New Years Honours, so his proper title is “Sir Idris Elba, People Magazine’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive. ” Thankfully for all involved, Idris Elba isn’t just a pretty face. In addition to having a successful acting career, Elba also performs as a DJ and an occasional R&B singer. He was also named one of top 100 of the most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent for two years in a row, and he was also Essence Magazine’s sexiest man of the year in 2013. Above all else, though, Elba has made bank at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, he is one of the top 20 grossing actors in the world. As of 2021, Idris Elba has grossed more than $9 billion in international receipts and more than $4 billion in American...

Idris Elba is venturing into children’s books. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the award-winning actor has inked a global multi-book deal with HarperCollins to publish a range of children’s books. The deal includes both fiction and picture books that Elba has developed with his writing partner Robyn Charteris whose credits include a BAFTA-winning children’s drama series for CBBC and creating and writing one of the first 52-episode pre-school series for the launch of digital channel CBeebies. “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to bring stories inspired by my daughter to life with my incredible partner Robyn Charteris, and the powerhouse team at HarperCollins,” said Elba in a statement.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Idris Elba (@idriselba) According to The Hollywood Reporter, “world rights were acquired by Ann-Janine Murtagh, Executive Publisher, HCCB UK, and Suzanne Murphy, President and Publisher, HCCB US, from Crystal Mahey-Morgan at OWN IT!...