Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, UBA Group and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, has been declared the winner of the prestigious 2025 Man of the Year award at the 7th Leadership Excellence Awards (LEEX). In a 7-day nationwide online poll monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Elumelu secured an overwhelming victory with 1,093,475 votes, significantly outpacing other distinguished nominees including Allen Onyema (634,855 votes) and A. A. Rano (185,397 votes). The award, proudly endorsed by the African Union and the African Film Institute, will be held on October 31, 2025, at the Nigeria Air Force Conference Hall in Abuja.
The Leadership Excellence Awards (LEEX), organized by Igbere TV, has established itself as Africa’s premier online recognition platform for outstanding leadership and contributions to national development. Now in its seventh edition, the awards have become a benchmark for excellence, celebrating individuals who have made remarkable impacts in their respective fields.
Previous Man of the Year Award Winners:
– Dr. Godwin Maduka – 2019
– Dr. Godwin Maduka – 2020
– Obi Cubana – 2021
– Peter Obi – 2022
– Abdul Rabiu – 2023
– Udom Emmanuel – 2024
The selection process involves a rigorous two-stage procedure beginning with open public nominations, followed by a transparent voting process where citizens across the nation participate in selecting winners.
Elumelu’s recognition comes as no surprise given his transformative impact on Africa’s economic landscape through both business leadership and philanthropy. The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), established in 2010, represents his most enduring legacy. The foundation operationalizes his economic philosophy by empowering young African entrepreneurs, having committed $100 million in 2015 to create the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. This initiative has since trained, mentored, and provided seed funding to over 21,000 African entrepreneurs.
The foundation’s impact metrics demonstrate extraordinary success: TEF alumni have created over 1.5 million jobs and generated more than $4.2 billion in revenue across all 54 African countries. With 40% of beneficiaries being female entrepreneurs, the program has made significant strides in women’s economic empowerment. The foundation’s digital platform, TEFConnect, has become Africa’s largest entrepreneurship hub with over 1.5 million registered users.
This recognition coincides with the foundation’s announcement of its 2025 entrepreneurship cohort—3,000 entrepreneurs who will receive training, mentorship, and $5,000 in seed funding each. The award is expected to enhance the foundation’s ability to form strategic partnerships and scale its impact across Africa.
The 7th Leadership Excellence Awards ceremony on October 31, 2025, will bring together dignitaries from across Nigeria and Africa, including government officials, business leaders, cultural icons, and representatives from diplomatic missions at the prestigious Nigeria Air Force Conference Hall in Abuja.
Tony Elumelu’s recognition as the 2025 LEEX Man of the Year represents a public endorsement of his two-decade commitment to transforming African economies through strategic investments and entrepreneurial empowerment. His philosophy of Africapitalism has produced demonstrable results through the thousands of businesses launched and jobs created by beneficiaries of his foundation, cementing his legacy as one of Africa’s most influential business leaders and philanthropists.
