Jim Ovia, Ogunlesi, Mwangi and Jonah named Lifetime Achievement winners at ABLA 2026

Four of Africa's most consequential business figures have been named Lifetime Achievement Award winners at the 16th African Business Leadership Awards, with the recognition spanning banking, infrastructure, financial services and mining across Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.

African Leadership Magazine announced the ABLA 2026 winners on May 26, following a four-stage selection process involving public nominations, editorial screening, public voting and institutional assessment. The awards ceremony is scheduled for July 2 and 3 at the House of Lords in London.

The Lifetime Achievement honorees are Jim Ovia, founder of Zenith Bank Plc Nigeria; Adebayo Ogunlesi, chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners now part of BlackRock Nigeria; James Mwangi, group managing director and CEO of Equity Group Holdings Kenya; and Sam Jonah, executive chairman of Jonah Capital Equity Fund Ghana.

Four careers that shaped African business

Each of the four winners built something that outlasted the conditions that created it. Ovia founded Zenith Bank in June 1990 with $4 million in shareholders' funds and built it into one of Africa's largest financial groups, before stepping back from the chairmanship in May 2026 after a mandatory 12-year tenure.

Ogunlesi co-founded Global Infrastructure Partners in 2006 and built it into the world's largest independent infrastructure manager, before BlackRock acquired it in a $12.5 billion deal in 2024. He now manages approximately $28 billion in South Africa-linked assets through the BlackRock platform. Mwangi has led Equity Group Holdings for more than two decades, transforming a small microfinance institution into one of East Africa's most profitable banking groups with operations across seven countries. Jonah led AngloGold Ashanti for a decade and built Jonah Capital into one of Ghana's most respected private investment firms.

Other notable winners at ABLA 2026

Beyond the Lifetime Achievement category, Ethiopian Airlines won African Brand of the Year. Jeremy Awori, CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, won African CEO of the Year. Eyob Tekalign, governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia, and Emmanuel Tutuba, governor of the Bank of Tanzania, shared Central Bank Governor of the Year. Halima Aliko Dangote, Group Executive Director of Dangote Industries Nigeria, was named African Female Business Leader of the Year.

Alex Otti, governor of Abia State Nigeria, was recognized as Business-Friendly Governor of the Year alongside Kenya's Machakos County Governor Wavinya Ndeti as joint winners.

African Leadership Magazine has published for more than 19 years, presenting the 16th edition of the ABLA as one of its flagship platforms for recognizing corporate leadership and institutional excellence across the continent.