African Leadership Magazine today announced the nominees for the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) 2026, recognising outstanding African business leaders, policymakers and enterprises driving economic transformation, innovation, governance excellence, and sustainable development across the continent. Public voting for the Awards is now officially open and will run until 22 May 2026, providing stakeholders across Africa and the diaspora the opportunity to participate in celebrating and affirming exceptional leadership and institutional impact across Africa’s business and public sectors.
Now in its 16th year, the African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) has become Africa’s premier platform for recognising transformational leadership, corporate excellence, and outstanding contributions to the continent’s economic growth and global competitiveness.
The selection process began with an open call for nominations, followed by a rigorous editorial screening and shortlisting exercise conducted by the African Leadership Magazine Editorial Board. The ongoing public voting phase now allows stakeholders across Africa and the diaspora to participate directly in the selection process, while the final stage will involve a comprehensive editorial assessment of voting outcomes, supporting evidence, measurable impact, and institutional performance before winners are officially announced. Public votes account for 65% of the final decision-making process, while the remaining 35% is based on supporting evidence and editorial evaluation, ensuring a transparent, credible, and merit-driven selection framework.
The 2026 nominees represent Africa’s leading business executives, reform-driven policymakers, multinational corporations, financial institutions, regulators, and emerging enterprise leaders whose contributions continue to strengthen business ecosystems, deepen regional integration, attract investments, and advance the continent’s global competitiveness.
The winners of the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) will be formally honoured and presented with their instruments of honour during the Awards Ceremony and strategic stakeholder engagements scheduled for 2–3 July 2026 at the prestigious House of Lords, London, United Kingdom, which will convene senior business executives, policymakers, investors, diplomats, regulators, and influential stakeholders from across Africa and the international community.
Full List of Nominees for the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) 2026
African Business Leader of the Year
- James Mwangi, Group MD/CEO Equity Group Holdings Plc, Kenya
- Daniel McKorley, Executive Chairman, McDan Group, Ghana
- Adaora Umeoji, Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria
- Mohamed Mansour, Chairman, Mansour Group, Egypt
- Sayyu Dantata, Founder & Chairman, MRS Holdings Limited, Nigeria
African Female Business Leader of the Year
- Halima Aliko Dangote, Group Executive Director, Dangote Industries, Nigeria
- Akiko Seyoum Ambaye, Founder & CEO, Orchid Business Group PLC, Ethiopia
- Catherine Lesetedi, CEO Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited (BIHL)
- Kapumpe Chola, CEO First National Bank (FNB) Zambia
- Catherine Tchokonté, CEO Airtel Madagascar
- Fatoumata Mbalou Sanogo, CEO Petroci Holding, Cote d’Ivoire
African Finance Minister of the Year
- John Mbadi Ng’ongo, Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury and Economic Planning, Kenya
- Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Economy and Finance Minister, Morocco
- Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister for Finance, Ghana
- Louis-Paul Motazé, Minister of Finance, Cameroon
Central Bank Governor of the Year
- Eyob Tekalign, Governor, National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE)
- Yvon Sana Bangui, Governor, Bank of Central African States
- Lesetja Kganyago, Governor, South African Reserve Bank
- Emmanuel Tutuba, Governor, Bank of Tanzania
Business-Friendly Governor of the Year
- Alex Otti, Executive Governor of Abia State, Nigeria
- Wavinya Ndeti, Governor of Machakos County, Kenya
- Adanech Abebe, Mayor of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
African CEO of the Year
- Boye Olusanya, Group Managing Director/CEO, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc
- Sebastião Gaspar Martins, Chairman & CEO, Sonangol Group, Angola
- Jeremy Awori, CEO, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Togo
- Nour Eddine Daoudi, Chairman & CEO, SONATRACH Group, Algeria
African Company of the Year
- Vodacom Group, South Africa
- Dangote Group, Nigeria
- Orascom Construction, Egypt
- Coris Bank International, Burkina Faso
- OCP Group, Morocco
African Brand of the Year
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Airtel Africa
- United Bank for Africa
- Attijariwafa Bank (Morocco)
African Regulator of the Year
- National Communications Authority, Ghana
- Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA)
- Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA)
- Banque Centrale du Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo
Industry Personality of the Year
- Ahmed Elsewedy, Group President/CEO, Elsewedy Electric, Egypt
- Yasser Shaker, CEO Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA)
- Owen Silavwe, MD/CEO, Copperbelt Energy Corporation PLC, Zambia
- Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd)
Trade & Investment Minister of the Year
- Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, Minister of Industry and Trade, Benin
- Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Minister of Trade, Cameroon
- Basílio Zefanias Muhate, Minister of Economy, Mozambique
- Rui Miguêns de Oliveira, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Angola
Trade & Investment Promotion Agency of the Year
- Ethiopian Investment Commission
- Uganda Investment Authority
- InvestSA (South Africa)
- Economic Development Board Mauritius (EDB Mauritius)
- Ghana Investment Promotion Centre
Young Business Leader of the Year
- Abdoul Karim Diallo, Director General, Société Nationale d’Organisation et de Commerce (SONOCO) Guinea
- David Mantiziba, Founder/CEO, Wildfin Microfinance Zimbabwe
- Yahya Tarek Diab, CEO, Veros Petroleum Ltd, Ghana
- Daniel Ekali Kwizombe, CEO, DEK Engineering & Electrical Contractors, Malawi
- Imad Bouiboukir, CEO, MI Travaux — Morocco
African Tech & Digital Economy Leader of the Year
- Galaxy Backbone Nigeria
- Safaricom Kenya
- Ethio Telecom (Ethiopia)
- Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet)
CSR & Community Development Impact Award
- Mastercard Africa
- Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Limited, Botswana
- East African Breweries Limited
- Bakhresa Group, Tanzania
- Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty) Ltd (Namibia)
Africa Business Integrity Leader Award
- KCB Group (Kenya)
- Salaam Somali Bank
- Générale de Banque de Mauritanie (GBM)
- CBAO Groupe Attijariwafa Bank, Senegal
- Mauritius Commercial Bank
Capital Market / Stock Exchange of the Year
- Ghana Stock Exchange
- Egyptian Exchange
- Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange — Tanzania
- Uganda Securities Exchange
- Nigerian Exchange Group
African Diaspora Business Leader of the Year
- Adebayo Ogunlesi, Global Infrastructure Partners / BlackRock, Nigeria
- Ismail Ahmed, Founder/Chairman, WorldRemit, Somaliland
- Helmy Eltoukhy, Chairman, Guardant Health, Egypt
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Sam Jonah – Executive Chairman, Jonah Capital Equity Fund, Ghana
- Jim Ovia, Founder, Zenith Bank Nigeria
To cast your vote, visit: https://www.AfricanLeadershipMagazine.co.uk
Africa Fact: A visitor in 1331 AD considered the Tanzanian city of Kilwa to be of world class. He wrote that it was the “principal city on the coast the greater part of whose inhabitants are Zanj of very black complexion.” Later on he says that: “Kilwa is one of the most beautiful and well-constructed cities in the world. The whole of it is elegantly built.”
Judge
Marnus Broodryk – The Beancounter: Marnus Broodryk was a self-made millionaire by the age of 24, without taking on a single cent of debt. While completing his articles he also studied via correspondence. Although it was a tough four years, it enabled him to have his degree and articles completed by 22, then he moved to Johannesburg. He launched his revolutionary accounting business called The Beancounter, an accounting practice that would help SMEs build bigger, more sustainable and profitable businesses. This completely disrupted the accounting industry, altering the way the industry operates. His business is now worth more than R1 billion and continues to grow from strength-to-strength. He became one of the youngest investors on M-Net\’s Shark Tank.