Leadership Excellence Awards: Tony Elumelu voted 2025 Man of the Year

Mr Tony Elumelu, founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation has been voted winner of the prestigious Man of the Year for 2025 at the 7th Leadership Excellence Awards (LEEX).

In an online voting monitored byour correspondent , 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).

Our correspondent reports that the LEEX award, now in its seventh edition is organized by Igbere TV to recognise outstanding leadership and contributions of individuals to national development.

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.

The awards have become a benchmark for excellence, celebrating individuals who have made remarkable impact in their respective fields.

Elumelu’s recognition is believed to be based on 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.

The recognition coincides with the foundation’s announcement of its 2025 entrepreneurship cohort of 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.

TEF alumni is said to have created over 1.5 million jobs and generated more than $4.2 billion in revenue across all 54 African countries.

The foundation has 40 per cent of female entrepreneurs as beneficiaries, making 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 and have trained, mentored, and provided seed funding to over 21,000 African entrepreneurs.

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.

Former past winners include Dr Godwin Maduka , 2019, Dr Godwin Maduka, 2020, Obi Cubana, 2021, Peter Obi, 2022, Abdul Rabiu, 2023 and Udom Emmanuel, 2024

The award, endorsed by the African Union and the African Film Institute is scheduled to hold in Abuja Oct. 31, 2025.