MIPAD Announces Lagos Diaspora Experience 2025 Alongside Major End-year Awards in Lagos, Celebrating Global African Achievements and Black Excellence

This historic occasion marks the first time the world-famous Most Influential 100 Recognition & Awards Ceremony—traditionally held in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)—will be hosted in Lagos, Nigeria. The week will feature events such as Diaspora Day at the Fela Exhibition (Afrobeat Meets Diaspora), Cultural Heritage Day, and Business Leadership Luncheons, all culminating in the awards celebration.

The evening will honour the Best & Brightest of the Year, recognising exceptional individuals and institutions whose work has advanced Global African Achievement and Black Excellence across business, government, media, culture, and technology.

Key Recognitions for 2025

– Governor of the Year & City of the Year: His Excellency Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, honoured alongside Lagos as City of the Year for its global leadership in culture, innovation, tourism, and diaspora engagement.
– Her Excellency Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, will be honoured as Minister of the Year and deliver a keynote address on the creative economy’s role in nation branding and cultural diplomacy.
– Most Influential Woman of the Year: Olorì Atúwàtse III, Queen Consort of the Warri Kingdom
– Most Influential Man of the Year: Adewale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, OANDO
– CEO of the Year: Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, who will deliver a keynote address, recognised for his transformative leadership and impact on Nigeria’s telecommunications and digital economy.

In celebrating this year’s honorees, Michael Ehindero, Managing Director, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, owners of Martell Cognac, who emerged as Brand Of The Year, expressed deep appreciation for the brand’s continued global recognition, saying: “It’s a great reward for the team who have delivered Martell excellently in Nigeria over the years. We say thank you to the teams, we say thank you to our consumers, and we say thank you to MIPAD. Martell has a lot of promising experiences in the years to come in Nigeria, and with this we invite you over to Nigeria to experience Detty December”.

The ceremony will also celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2025 Honorees, alongside past Nigerian honorees who were unable to attend their year of recognition in New York.

“For the first time, we’re bringing our world-famous recognition platform home to celebrate excellence within the Global Africa Family — right here in Lagos,” said Kamil Olufowobi, Founder & Chairman of MIPAD. “This is more than an event; it’s a movement uniting the best of us — connecting, collaborating, and working together to change the world.”

According to the organisers, Lagos will host the #DettyDec Diaspora Day at the Fela Exhibition on Friday, December 19, followed on Sunday, December 21, by a strictly by-invitation End-of-Year Recognition and Award Ceremony.

About MIPAD
The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) is a global civil society initiative in support of the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2034). MIPAD identifies and celebrates high achievers of African descent worldwide, fostering global recognition, connection, and collaboration.