Somo by Somo – Nominated for Creative Force in Fashion of the Year at the MOI Awards
Thursday, 18 September 2025
Sophia Ugbegua is the founder and creative designer of Somo by Somo, a celebrated Nigerian women’s wear brand. Her work is distinguished by elaborate detailing, a bold aesthetic, and high-quality craftsmanship, with a strong focus on bridal and custom-made couture. Her design philosophy is rooted in a “glamorous, daring, and expressive” alter ego. She established
- Published in Creative Force in Fashion
Yomi Casual — Nominated for Creative Force in Fashion of the Year at the MOI Awards
Thursday, 18 September 2025
Yomi Casual has redefined contemporary menswear by blending bold African aesthetics with global-ready tailoring, turning his label into a constant fixture across film, music videos, TV, and red-carpet culture. His looks amplify the visibility of Nigerian fashion in mainstream media, while strategic collaborations with entertainers and influencers drive trend adoption at scale. Beyond design, his
- Published in Creative Force in Fashion
Nyesom Wike CON – For the Capital Leadership Award at the MOI Awards 2025
Friday, 29 August 2025
Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has been nominated for the Capital Leadership Award at the MOI Awards — a nod to a journey that began far from the spotlight. Born on December 13, 1964, in Rumuepirikom, Obio-Akpor, Rivers State, and rooted in the Ikwerre community, Wike grew up around everyday people whose needs were practical and urgent.
- Published in Capital Leadership Awards, Capital Leadership Awards
Babajide Sanwo-olu – For the ‘Investment & Development Leadership Award’ at the MOI Awards 2025
Friday, 29 August 2025
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is a Nigerian politician and seasoned public servant, currently serving as the Governor of Lagos State. Hailing from Lagos, he has built a reputation as a forward-thinking leader with a strong focus on urban development, investment, and economic growth. Sanwo-Olu’s educational journey reflects his commitment to excellence. He attended Government Demonstration School,
- Published in Investment & Development Leadership Award
Jim Ovia — Nominated for the Lifetime Achievement in Industry Leadership Award at the MOI Awards
Thursday, 14 August 2025
Jim Ovia is widely regarded as the “Godfather of Banking,” a visionary who founded Zenith Bank in 1990 during a time of economic instability and a “sorely underdeveloped business climate.” His bold vision was to build a bank that was modern, efficient, and technology-driven. Under his leadership for 20 years, Zenith grew from a startup
- Published in Lifetime Achievement in Industry Leadership
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala — Nominated for Lifetime Achievement in Industry Leadership at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Economist, reformer, and global trade leader, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s career spans two terms as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and service as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. Her work blends public-sector reform with institution-building across global finance and trade. She has championed debt relief, macroeconomic stabilisation, and transparent public finance, while advancing initiatives that expand market
- Published in Lifetime Achievement in Industry Leadership
Femi Aluko — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Ex-Paystack principal engineer Femi Aluko co-founded Chowdeck and, in 2024, secured a multi-million-dollar seed round to scale on-demand delivery, then pushed into POS/restaurant tech with a 2025 acquisition of Mira. Operationally, Chowdeck has reported crossing tens of billions of naira in deliveries and, three months after launching in Accra, surpassed 1,000 daily orders, rare momentum
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Kelvin Umechukwu — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Kelvin is co-founder & CEO of Bumpa, a mobile-first commerce OS for African SMEs. Bumpa has raised venture funding and integrates directly with Meta to let merchants sell, invoice, and manage orders from one place. The platform keeps shipping product education, partnerships, and an acquisition (Fyyne) to expand into new markets, all in service of
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Odunayo Eweniyi — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
As co-founder & COO of PiggyVest, Odunayo Eweniyi helped build one of Nigeria’s largest consumer fintech platforms—crossing millions of customers and paying out hundreds of billions of naira to users in 2024. She’s also a TIME100 Next and Bloomberg 50 alum for broader social impact. Beyond product scale, she co-founded FirstCheck Africa to back female
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Ossai Ifeanyi Nwabuonwu — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Ossai co-founded CribMD in 2020 to deliver subscription telemedicine and doctor house calls, supporting families and SMEs with accessible primary care. The company raised a multi-million-dollar seed round to expand product and team. CribMD’s model blends virtual care with home visits, an approach spotlighted by regional tech media and sector events as it works to
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Blessing Abeng — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Co-founder and Director of Communications at Ingressive for Good (I4G), Blessing Abeng drives programs that increase the earning power of African youth through tech training, scholarships, and partnerships with global platforms. She previously co-founded Disha, which was later acquired by Flutterwave. I4G’s mission targets training 1 million youths and connecting thousands to jobs; independent coverage
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Kennedy co-founded Kippa to help MSMEs digitise bookkeeping and back-office finance, earning Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition and positioning him among Nigeria’s most visible Gen-Z founders. Like many fintechs, Kippa has navigated hard market turns, shuttering KippaPay and facing app discontinuation, yet the founder has stayed publicly engaged on entrepreneurship and identity, modelling resilience and
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Orondaam Otto — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch Under 40 at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Orondaam Otto founded Slum2School Africa in 2012, growing it into a volunteer-driven education nonprofit that builds learning centres, STEM labs, and provides psychosocial support across hundreds of underserved communities. Global platforms have profiled the organisation’s reach to hundreds of thousands of children, and Otto was named to the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Class
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Tiwalola Olanubi Jnr. — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch (Under 50) at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Founder & Group CEO of Dotts Media House, Tiwalola built one of Nigeria’s prominent influencer-marketing outfits and created Trendupp Africa—the platform behind the pan-African Trendupp Awards for digital creators. The awards’ fifth edition was held in 2025, reflecting sustained industry relevance. His ecosystem work includes the Nigerian Influencer Marketing Report and creator programs run through
- Published in Young Executive to Watch
Adebola Williams — Nominated for Young Executive to Watch (Under 50) at the MOI Awards
Sunday, 10 August 2025
Adebola Williams co-founded RED | For Africa and helped build one of the continent’s most recognisable youth-focused media portfolios—home to Red Media Africa, YNaija, StateCraft Inc., and The Future Awards Africa. He led the group for years before handing the baton to a successor in 2022. Beyond media, Williams’ career bridges advocacy and political communications;
- Published in Young Executive to Watch