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Filmmaker Nora Awolowo was named Young Person of the Year at the 20th edition of The Future Awards Africa.
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Teniola Aladese won the Prize for Acting, and Pastor Jerry Eze took the Prize for Service to Young People.
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Joey Akan won On-Air Personality Prize, Chef T won Lifestyle Content Creation Prize and Akwa Man won Comedy Content Creation Prize.
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The edition honoured young Africans across 26 categories under the theme, Celebrating The Redefiners: Africa’s AI Generation.
November 15, (THEWILL) – Filmmaker Nora Awolowo was named Young Person of the Year on Saturday night as The Future Awards Africa marked its 20th edition, with a list of winners that spanned film, faith, broadcasting, health, content creation, among others.
Awolowo took the night’s headline prize at the milestone ceremony, which honoured young Africans aged 18 to 35 across 26 categories under the theme, Celebrating The Redefiners: Africa’s AI Generation.
Actress Teniola Aladese took the Prize for Acting. Pastor Jerry Eze won the Prize for Service to Young People, and Joey Akan was named best in the On-Air Personality category.
In the content creation categories, Omotolani “Chef T” Tayo-Osikoya won the Prize for Lifestyle Content Creation, while Daniel “Akwa Man” Ekpe took the Prize for Comedy Content Creation.
Awolowo’s win caps a long run with the awards. The filmmaker, producer and cinematographer was a three-time nominee in the film category, and she has also won an Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award for her documentary Nigeria: The Debut. She beat four other nominees for the top prize: James Popoola, Abdul Azeez Abdulyekeen, Taiwo Aromolaran, and Deborah Johnson.
Aladese had been nominated for the same acting prize in 2022, the year she also won the trailblazer award at the AMVCA. This time she showed up in a field that included Bolaji Ogunmola, Uche Montana, Rosman Sunshine and Taye Arimoro.
Joey Akan won against Claudia Naisambwa Leshoomo and Nina Shaban from Kenya, as well as Kanyinsola Olukoya and Onyinyechi Aderibigbe.
Eze’s prize recognises his work with young people. The pastor built a global following through an online prayer platform that began during the pandemic, and in January he launched a grant scheme for young entrepreneurs.
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The ceremony had been billed as a first for the awards, with five hosts from across the continent.
Organisers said an awards jury and an independent audit committee assessed the nominees, a process meant to keep the results credible.
TFAA’s executive director, Ayodeji Razaq, has said the awards have watched young Africans change industries, communities and the continent over the past 20 editions.
For two decades, the awards have helped launch careers. Past winners include Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy and Tems.
How The Awards Began
Chude Jideonwo, Adebola Williams and Emilia Asim-Ita conceived the awards in 2005, and the first ceremony took place on February 6, 2006.
Last year’s 19th edition, themed, Threads of Legacy, named Fola David Young Person of the Year, and Mr Macaroni won the Prize for Acting.
Gertrude Oby is a writer and journalist passionate about the creative industries. Works span fashion, film, media, art, and culture.