Okonjo-Iweala, Maada Bio, Others Win African Leadership Persons of The Year

The President of Sierra Leone, Dr Julius Maada Bio, his Zambian Counterpart, President Hakainde Hichilema, alongside the first female Director General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, among others, have been announced as the winners in the 11th African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year – 2022. The trio emerged winners in the African of the Year, Political Leader of the Year and African Female Leader of the year categories, respectively. 

The winners emerged with a combined total vote of over 15,000 and over 1 million active online engagements during the voting period, as at the close of the poll on Friday, December 2nd, 2022, at midnight Central African Time. 

The poll, which has become the continent’s premium vote-based awards, attracted over 12,000 votes on the ALM website and over 3000 votes via email.

African Leadership Persons of The Year

Winners for the 11th edition of the award shall be presented with the honour instruments on February 16th, 2022, during the annual African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award ceremony, billed to hold in Port Louis, Mauritius.

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The winners were unveiled by the Publisher of the Magazine, Dr Ken Giami, at the U.K. Head Office of the group. The announcement of the winners was preceded by the awards committee working with the editorial team to collate online and offline votes and submissions from the over 1 million subscribers/followership base of the publication.

Below are list of winners and runners up in the 9 categories:  

African of the Year 2022

H.E. Dr Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

H.E. Hage Geingob, President of Namibia    (Runner-up) 

African Female Leader of the Year 2022

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization, Nigeria

Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia (Runner-Up)

African Educationist of the Year 2022 

Dr. Gertrude Nwangala Akapelwa, Founder & Vice-Chancellor, Victoria Falls University of Technology, Zambia

Mamokgethi Phakengas, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town, South Africa, (Runner-Up)

African Industrialist of the Year 2022 

Patrice Motsepe, Executive Chairman, Africa Rainbow Minerals, South Africa 

Dr Deji Adeleke, Chairman, Pacific Holding (Runner-Up) 

African Political Leader of the Year 2022 

H.E. Hakinde Hichilema, President of Zambia  

H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania (Runner-Up)

African Philanthropist of the Year 2022

Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Executive Chairperson, Higher Life Foundation Zimbabwe  

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Mohammed Indimi, Chairman, Oriental Energy Resources, Nigeria  (Runner-Up)

ALM Emerging African Leader of the Year 2022

Emma Theofilus, Deputy minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Namibia 

Ham Serunjogi, Co-Founder and CEO of Chipper Cash, Uganda (Runner-Up)

 Africa Peace & Security Leader of the Year 2022

Yankuba Drammeh, Chief of Defense Staff, Gambia  

General Jean Bosco Kazura, Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwanda Defence Force (Runner-Up)

 African Energy Leader of the Year 2022

Patricia Simon-Hart, MD/CEO, Aftrac Limited, Nigeria 

Leparan Gideon ole Morintat National Oil Corporation of Kenya(Runner-Up)

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry