Five Nigerian governors have been nominated for the prestigious 2025 African Governors Award, an international recognition honouring excellence in leadership, innovation in governance, and impactful public service across the continent. The nominees include Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Hope Uzodimma of Imo, and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.
The announcement was made by Idahosa Osamahze, Vice Chairman of the Award Selection Committee, who confirmed that the high-profile event is scheduled to take place on August 19 in Paris, France. He noted that the initiative seeks to celebrate visionary leadership and spotlight transformational projects that have significantly improved the lives of citizens at the sub-national level.
According to Osamahze, the award ceremony will serve as a platform to acknowledge exceptional governance and sustainable development initiatives in areas such as healthcare, infrastructure, education, economic empowerment, and inclusive governance. The 2025 edition is set to bring together development partners, diplomats, and top-tier government stakeholders from across Africa and Europe.
He emphasized that the nominated Nigerian governors were selected based on their remarkable strides in fostering socio-economic growth, driving policy reforms, and implementing people-focused programs in their respective states. Their work, he said, reflects a deep commitment to integrity, accountability, and transformative leadership.
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Other nominees include governors from Egypt and Kenya, such as Abdel Amara of Kafr El Sheikh, Amr Hanafi, Gamal Nour El-Din, Khaled Fouda, Hillary Barchok, George Natembeya, Mohamed Adan Khalif, and Jeremiah Lomorukai. These leaders, Osamahze said, represent the new face of African governance, bold, effective, and people-centered.
He revealed that the Paris event will feature keynote addresses from global policy experts, panel sessions on governance innovation at the sub-national level, and networking engagements aimed at strengthening intergovernmental collaboration across the continent.
As anticipation builds for the 2025 African Governors Award, the nominations of these Nigerian governors serve not only as a celebration of leadership done right but also as a challenge to others across the continent to raise the bar in governance and public accountability.
