It was a night of pride and inspiration on Friday, November 7, 2025, as leaders in finance, technology, media, and public service gathered at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, for the 2025 GRC & FinCrime Prevention Awards.

The event followed a vibrant summit held earlier in the day, where experts explored “Localising GRC for Africa’s Next Frontier.” Together, the summit and awards celebrated the individuals and institutions driving governance, risk management, and financial-crime prevention across the continent.

In the fintech sector, OPay emerged a standout, winning both the Organisational Excellence in Financial Crime Prevention Award and the Organisational Excellence in Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Award. Tony Elumelu was crowned Influencer of the Year, while Arise TV took home GRC & Anti-FinCrime Reporter/Station of the Year.

Other prestigious recognitions included KPMG Africa for Best GRC & FinCrime Prevention Advisory Service, Jobberman for Best Recruitment & Talent Firm, and Huawei Cloud as FinCrime Prevention Solution Provider of the Year.

The deeply applauded Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Beauty Mtonga earned the GRC Woman of the Year title, while NNPC was honoured for excellence in both the energy sector and financial-crime prevention. In the utilities and telecommunications category, Globacom claimed Organisational Excellence in GRC.

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Foluso Amusa, Founder and Convener of the Annual GRC & Financial Crime Prevention Summit and Awards, praised the progress made during the sessions and the achievements celebrated.

“This year’s event reaffirmed our belief that Africa is not merely catching up—it is driving meaningful, homegrown reforms in governance and financial-crime prevention.

“The trailblazers we honoured tonight embody integrity, resilience, and innovation. What inspires me most is the shared purpose we saw at the summit earlier today: experts, regulators, and industry leaders all committed to building systems that safeguard our economies, empower our people, and strengthen trust across the continent.”

In a major announcement, organisers revealed that the 2026 edition of the GRC & FinCrime Prevention Summit and Awards will be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 6, 2026—a move widely welcomed as a step toward deeper regional engagement.

The day ended with renewed momentum and optimism for a future anchored in ethical leadership and strengthened governance across Africa.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

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