African Leadership Magazine 16th ABL 2026, voting open till May 22

LONDON, United Kingdom, May 14/APO Group: The African Leadership Magazine has 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 May 22, 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 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 percent of the final decision-making process, while the remaining 35 percent 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.

A Partial List of Nominees for the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) 2026:

African Business Leader of the Year

1. James Mwangi, Group MD/CEO Equity Group Holdings Plc, Kenya
2. Daniel McKorley, Executive Chairman, McDan Group, Ghana
3. Adaora Umeoji, Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank Plc, Nigeria
4. Mohamed Mansour, Chairman, Mansour Group, Egypt
5. Sayyu Dantata, Founder & Chairman, MRS Holdings Limited, Nigeria

African Female Business Leader of the Year

1. Halima Aliko Dangote, Group Executive Director, Dangote Industries, Nigeria
2. Akiko Seyoum Ambaye, Founder & CEO, Orchid Business Group PLC, Ethiopia
3. Catherine Lesetedi, CEO Botswana Insurance Holdings Limited (BIHL)
4. Kapumpe Chola, CEO First National Bank (FNB) Zambia
5. Catherine Tchokonté, CEO Airtel Madagascar
6. Fatoumata Mbalou Sanogo, CEO Petroci Holding, Cote d’Ivoire

African Finance Minister of the Year

1. John Mbadi Ng’ongo, Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury and Economic Planning, Kenya
2. Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Economy and Finance Minister, Morocco
3. Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister for Finance, Ghana
4. Louis-Paul Motazé, Minister of Finance, Cameroon

Central Bank Governor of the Year

1. Eyob Tekalign, Governor, National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE)
2. Yvon Sana Bangui, Governor, Bank of Central African States
3. Lesetja Kganyago, Governor, South African Reserve Bank
4. Emmanuel Tutuba, Governor, Bank of Tanzania

African Company of the Year

1. Vodacom Group, South Africa
2. Dangote Group, Nigeria
3. Orascom Construction, Egypt
4. Coris Bank International, Burkina Faso
5. OCP Group, Morocco

African Brand of the Year

1. Ethiopian Airlines
2. Airtel Africa
3. United Bank for Africa
4. Attijariwafa Bank (Morocco)

African Regulator of the Year

1. National Communications Authority, Ghana
2. Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA)
3. Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA)
4. Banque Centrale du Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo

Trade & Investment Promotion Agency of the Year

1. Ethiopian Investment Commission
2. Uganda Investment Authority
3. InvestSA  (South Africa)
4. Economic Development Board Mauritius (EDB Mauritius)
5. Ghana Investment Promotion Centre

CSR & Community Development Impact Award

1. Mastercard Africa
2. Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Limited, Botswana
3. East African Breweries Limited
4. Bakhresa Group, Tanzania
5. Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty) Ltd (Namibia)

Africa Business Integrity Leader Award

1. KCB Group (Kenya)
2. Salaam Somali Bank
3. Générale de Banque de Mauritanie (GBM)
4. CBAO Groupe Attijariwafa Bank, Senegal
5. Mauritius Commercial Bank

Capital Market / Stock Exchange of the Year

1. Ghana Stock Exchange
2. Egyptian Exchange
3. Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange — Tanzania
4. Uganda Securities Exchange
5. Nigerian Exchange Group

To cast your vote, visit: https://www.AfricanLeadershipMagazine.co.uk