Renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mr. Tony Elumelu, has been voted the 2025 Man of the Year at the prestigious 7th Leadership Excellence Awards (LEEX), an annual event that celebrates visionary leadership and national impact.
The Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) emerged as the clear winner in a nationwide online poll, monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), securing 1,093,475 votes. He outpaced other high-profile nominees, including Allen Onyema (634,855 votes) and A.A. Rano (185,397 votes).
Organized by Igbere TV, the LEEX Awards have become a gold standard for recognizing individuals who exemplify excellence in leadership and contribution to national development. The selection process follows a rigorous two-stage procedure: an open public nomination followed by a transparent online voting phase.
Elumelu’s victory reflects widespread public recognition of his transformative influence on Africa’s socio-economic landscape. Through a combination of business acumen and philanthropic initiatives, he has been a driving force in empowering the continent’s next generation of entrepreneurs.
His foundation, The Tony Elumelu Foundation, established in 2010, has committed $100 million to its flagship TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, launched in 2015. The program has empowered over 21,000 entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries, providing training, mentorship, and $5,000 in seed capital to each participant.
In 2025, TEF announced a new cohort of 3,000 entrepreneurs, further expanding its reach. To date, TEF-supported businesses have created over 1.5 million jobs and generated more than $4.2 billion in revenue. Notably, 40% of beneficiaries are women—cementing TEF’s role in advancing gender equity in entrepreneurship.
The foundation’s digital hub, TEFConnect, now hosts over 1.5 million registered users, making it the largest entrepreneurship network in Africa.
Elumelu’s selection as LEEX Man of the Year 2025 highlights his continued dedication to economic transformation across Africa. His win joins a distinguished list of past recipients, including Dr. Godwin Maduka (2019, 2020), Obi Cubana (2021), Peter Obi (2022), Abdul Samad Rabiu (2023), and Udom Emmanuel (2024).
The 2025 LEEX Awards ceremony, endorsed by the African Union and the African Film Institute, is scheduled to take place on October 31, 2025, in Abuja.
