Table of contents
To culminate Women’s History Month, we’re acknowledging Nigerian women who have carried the culture, economy, standard and momentum on their backs from March 2025 until now.
Using the same rigorous methodology as the Zikoko Culture List, we’ve curated 50 names that defined the zeitgeist. This isn’t a participation trophy; it’s a record of who owned the year. We’re giving them their flowers, but this time we’re not doing it alone.
We’ve picked the 50 nominees who defined the year; now you decide who takes the crown for the Zikoko Women of the Year & Audience Choice Awards 2026.
Cast your votes here, for each category listed out below and keep an eye out for the winners after they’re announced on the HERtitude 2026 stage!
1) The Blueprint: Business & Entrepreneurship
These are the architects of the economy. The CEOs, founders, and corporate titans who are scaling pan-African businesses, securing major funding, or running the most influential consumer brands in the country.
Audrey Joe-Ezigbo
The veteran architect of Nigeria’s energy future. In October 2025, Audrey Joe-Ezigbo was honoured with the prestigious AWIEF Lifetime Achievement Award. This was for her three decades of leadership at Falcon Corporation. She now prepares to transition into her role as CEO. Her impact remains a cornerstone of the natural gas industry and a blueprint for female executive excellence in high-stakes sectors.
Ife Durosinmi-Etti
In 2025, Ife made global history as Herconomy became the first Nigerian fintech to win three Silver Lions at the Cannes Lions Festival. She won this for her groundbreaking Breastmilk Money initiative. Her 2025/2026 run has been defined by a masterclass in scaling. She transitioned her platform from a community of women into a high-impact fintech that turns domestic care into investable capital. She is a 2025 JCI TOYP honouree and lead partner for the 2026 Under 40 CEOs HerStage. Ife has bridged the gap between social advocacy and hard finance. This has created the definitive blueprint for how the next generation of African women can own their economic power.
Dr. Ola Brown
The primary catalyst for African venture capital. Through HealthCap Africa, Dr Brown spent 2025 scaling investments into high-impact fintech and healthtech startups. Her portfolio is now valued at over $700 million. Her 2025 book, Journey to Series A, has become the definitive manual for African founders navigating the current global funding winter.
Adeife Adeoye
The pioneer of the remote work revolution. In May 2025, Adeife transitioned RemoteWorkHER and Hercademy from digital communities into a physical powerhouse by opening their first headquarters in Lagos. Over the past year, she has scaled her ecosystem to support over 150,000 women, providing the infrastructure and technical training they need to compete in the global remote economy.
Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes
The trailblazer of gender-lens investing in Africa. In 2025, Adesuwa was named PE Person of the Year at the Private Equity Africa Awards in London and Under 40 CEO of the Year at the Peak Performer Awards. As the founder of Aruwa Capital, she has spent the last 12 months aggressively deploying capital into female-led businesses. This is effectively reshaping how institutional wealth is allocated across the continent.
2) The Essence: Wellness & Beauty
These are the women providing the building blocks for our peace and our glow. This award celebrates the mental health advocates who keep us grounded and the beauty experts who ensure our bodies thrive.
Amanda Iheme
In March 2025, her clinic, NDỊDỊ, was officially named “Most Compassionate Mental Health Support Service – Nigeria” by the MEA Business Awards. Throughout 2024 and 2025, Amanda has been recognised as a “Wellness Pioneer” by Marie Claire for fusing tradition with modern innovation. Her groundbreaking research through the 2024 G.A.S. Fellowship and her clinic’s hybrid virtual care model have expanded mental health access to over 10,000 patients. This has set the global standard for technology-based healthcare in Nigeria.
Subuola Oyeleye
In 2025, Subuola transformed The Beauty Hut Africa into a critical economic shock-absorber for the sector. By launching an innovative wholesale platform that stabilised retail prices for small beauty businesses amidst Nigeria’s 2025 exchange rate fluctuations, she ensured the survival of thousands of female-led micro-enterprises while maintaining the country’s access to global skincare standards.
Priscilla Ojo
Crowned Top Beauty Influencer in Nairobi (Oct 2025), Priscilla successfully scaled her brand, PriscyLuxe, into an international powerhouse. Her 2025/2026 window was defined by a landmark international pop-up in Toronto and being named among the 100 Most Impactful Influencers of 2025, proving that African digital creators can command luxury retail markets on a global scale.
Joycee Awosika
In 2025, Joycee celebrated the ORÍKÌ Group’s 10th anniversary with a massive technical expansion. Beyond launching new luxury spa centres in Lagos, she pioneered the Unwind by ORÍKÌ tech platform, which scaled on-demand mobile wellness services nationwide and into international markets, making luxury wellness accessible through a digital-first approach.
Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri
In mid-2025, Dr Abiri emerged as the leading advocate for managing economic anxiety. As the MD of Pinnacle Medical Services, she launched the Mind Your Mind digital initiative, providing free mental health first aid to over 5,000 women struggling with 2025’s inflation-related burnout. Her viral 2025 talk on The Silent Epidemic of High-Functioning Anxiety has fundamentally redefined how Nigerian women approach hustle culture.
3) The Main Character: Film & TV
These are the women who owned our screens. This award celebrates the actresses, directors, and producers who drove the year’s biggest cultural conversations, global streaming hits, and cinematic moments.
Funke Akindele
The undisputed Box Office Queen. In late 2025, she shattered her own industry records with the release of Everybody Loves Suliat, proving her unmatched ability to create commercially dominant and culture-shifting stories that resonate with millions.
Bimbo Ademoye
The digital screen’s most unavoidable star. In 2025, she surpassed 1.25M YouTube subscribers, using her self-produced web series to bridge the gap between traditional Nollywood and the creator economy, while delivering standout performances in the year’s biggest streaming hits.
Wunmi Mosaku
Between March 2025 and 2026, Wunmi achieved a historic level of critical and commercial dominance for her role as Annie in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Her year was defined by a record-breaking sweep, starting with Outstanding Supporting Performance at the Gotham Awards (Dec 2025) and culminating in wins for Best Supporting Actress from the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the Seattle Film Critics Society. Her run reached its peak on February 22, 2026, when she made history as the first Black British actress to win the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. Currently an Oscar nominee, her performance has been hailed as the decade’s definitive cinematic milestone.
Uzoamaka Power
The face of prestigious African cinema. In 2025, she delivered a masterclass as both director and lead actor in the critically acclaimed My Body, God’s Temple and featured prominently in the international festival favourite My Father’s Shadow.
Bolanle Austen-Peters
The architect of the modern African epic. In 2025, she directed the Netflix global hit House of Ga’a, redefining the scale and technical ambition of Nigerian historical dramas and solidifying her role as a powerhouse producer for the global stage.
Main characters don’t skip out on HERtitude tickets. Not when the Winners of the WOTYAs will be announced there! Get your tickets here: hertitude.zikoko.com
4) Music: The Headliner
These are the artists, producers, and label execs defining the global sound. Whether she’s on the mic or running the boardroom, she’s the reason the world is listening to us right now.
Ayra Starr
The undisputed Sabi Girl of the year. Despite the lack of a full-length album in 2025, Ayra Starr maintained an iron grip on the global charts through sheer single power. Her year was defined by a historic double win at the 2025 MOBO Awards and taking home Best International Act at the 2025 BET Awards. Between March 2025 and March 2026, she delivered a relentless run of back-to-back hits including the Rema-assisted Who’s Dat Girl (45M+ plays), the summer anthem Hot Body (31M+ plays), and the viral December 2025 smash On A Low. Entering 2026 with a Grammy nomination for Gimme Dat (ft. Wizkid), she remains Nigeria’s most high-velocity cultural exporter.
Tems
A year of global ascension and firsts. In 2025, Tems released her long-awaited, critically acclaimed debut studio album Born in the Wild, which became the highest-charting album by a Nigerian female artist in US history. She swept the 2025 Grammy Awards, winning Best African Music Performance for Love Me JeJe, and made history in early 2026 as the first Nigerian woman to secure a #1 single on the UK Official Charts with the Dave collaboration, Raindance.
Aniko
The visionary behind the global professionalisation of the Lagos rave scene. As the founder of Group Therapy, Aniko transformed underground electronic music into a mainstream cultural bridge. In April 2025, she led the landmark Group Therapy x Boiler Room showcase in Lagos, which validated the Nigerian electronic scene on a global stage. Throughout 2025, she successfully scaled the brand to London and Accra, while her KlubAniko residency redefined the technical and inclusive standards of Nigerian nightlife.
Director Pink
The visual architect of the Afrobeats era. In 2025, Director Pink won Music Video of the Year at the 17th Headies for her work on Egwu, cementing her status as the industry’s most sought-after director. Beyond her lens, her impact was defined by the 2025 expansion of the PinkLine Academy, a filmmaking initiative that has provided technical training and equipment access to hundreds of aspiring female directors across West Africa.
Qing Madi
In January 2026, Qing Madi was crowned Most Promising Artiste of the Year at AFRIMA, a milestone that capped a 12-month run of absolute sonic dominance. Her debut album, I Am The Blueprint (January 2025), repositioned her from a viral sensation into a sophisticated global powerhouse, blending Afro-Soul and R&B with a vocal maturity far beyond her years. As Spotify’s EQUAL Africa Artist, her 2025/2026 run has established her as the primary architect of the next era of Afropop, proving she is a headliner in every sense of the word.
5) The Gamechanger: Tech & STEM
These are the innovators building the future. This award celebrates the founders, engineers, and researchers solving real-world problems through code, hardware, and scalable digital infrastructure.
Adora Nwodo
The primary educator of the African cloud ecosystem. In 2025, Adaora was promoted to Engineering Manager at a global platform and released her landmark book, Cloud Engineering for Beginners. Through her non-profit, NexaScale, she spent the last year providing simulated work experience and laptops to over 11,000 aspiring techies, solidifying her status as a bridge-builder for the next generation of engineers.
Oluremi Martins
The pioneer of beauty-manufacturing tech. As the founder of Regirl and Texture Science Labs, Oluremi spent 2025 re-engineering the supply chain for Afro-textured hair. By utilising tech-enabled manufacturing and standardised lab processes, she has successfully scaled Made-in-Nigeria beauty solutions to over 70 countries, proving that African hardware and manufacturing can meet global luxury standards.
Adeola Ayoola
The architect of digital health infrastructure. In early 2026, Adeola was named a Top 10 Global Finalist for the Aurora Tech Award for her work with Famasi Africa. Over the last year, she scaled “Remi,” a proprietary AI agent that manages patient triage and predicts medication stock-outs, ensuring that over 20,000 patients across 10 Nigerian states never miss a life-saving refill.
Oluwatosin Olaseinde
The leading voice for digital financial inclusion. In November 2025, Oluwatosin was appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Financial Education, a historic win for African representation. Through Money Africa and Ladda, she has utilised ed-tech to equip over 200,000 women with the digital tools and literacy needed to navigate Nigeria’s 2025 economic shifts.
Yanmo Omorogbe
The disruptor of African wealth access. As the Co-Founder and COO of Bamboo, Yanmo led the platform’s 2025 expansion into Nigerian Stocks and Fixed-Income assets, effectively democratizing investment for over 100,000 active users. Her work in 2025, partnering with regulators to enable T+0 settlements, has removed the traditional friction for first-time female investors across the continent.
You’ll Love: The Zikoko Culture List 2025
6) The Force: Advocacy & Social Impact
These are the activists and policy-shapers holding power accountable. This award celebrates the women who aren’t just voices, but movements fighting for justice, systemic change, and the protection of the vulnerable.
Dorothy Njemanze
The primary shield for women’s rights in the National Assembly. Throughout 2025, Dorothy Njemanze was a pivotal force in the high-stakes advocacy that successfully prevented the repeal of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP). Beyond her legislative defence, she spent the year scaling her foundation’s impact, launching a landmark compendium in late 2025 designed to dismantle structural barriers facing female leaders across Nigeria’s security, political, and economic sectors.
Maryam Bukar Hassan
The poetic voice of global peacebuilding. In July 2025, Maryam Bukar Hassan (Alhanislam) was appointed the United Nations’ first Global Advocate for Peace under the Peace and Security Pillar. Utilising her “Peace is a Verb” movement, she has spent the last year on the frontlines of digital and grassroots advocacy, championing the leadership of women and youth in peace processes across Northern Nigeria and on the world’s most prestigious diplomatic stages.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
The trailblazer of legislative accountability. In 2025, Senator Natasha emerged as the Plenary Person of the Year, distinguished by her relentless pursuit of industrial transparency and her “Queen of Legacy Projects” initiative. Between March 2025 and March 2026, she delivered historic infrastructure and digital learning milestones for her constituents, proving that gender-inclusive governance can be both high-impact and transparent.
Oby Ezekwesili
The global gold standard for integrity. In December 2025, Dr Ezekwesili was honoured in Doha, Qatar, as a joint winner of the International Anti-Corruption Excellence Award (Lifetime Achievement). As the leader of the SPPG, she spent the “Her” window training a new vanguard of over 1,000 ethical leaders, ensuring that the fight for civic accountability remains a sustainable, institutional movement across the continent.
Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi
The architect of future-focused female leadership. In 2025, Khadijah represented Nigeria at the Global Women Leaders Summit at Georgetown University, where she was instrumental in launching the Women Changemakers Initiative. Over the past 12 months, she has utilised this global mentorship and knowledge-exchange platform to accelerate gender inclusion in public policy, bridging the gap between grassroots advocacy and international political leadership.
7) The Storyteller: Media & Literature
These are the journalists, authors, and podcasters who documented our lives this year. This award celebrates the women who controlled the narrative, gave us the words we didn’t know we needed, and redefined the commercial scale of African storytelling.
FK & Jola (ISWIS)
In 2025, FK Abudu and Jola Ayeye transformed I Said What I Said into a global touring phenomenon, selling out The Bounce Live Tour across London, New York, and Toronto. By launching the Sub-Standard Newsletter and celebrating their 8th anniversary with a landmark karaoke residency, the duo spent the last year proving that African podcasting can achieve the commercial and cultural scale of mainstream entertainment.
Eloghosa Osunde
In 2025, Eloghosa was honoured with the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize for her surrealist and narrative brilliance, continuing to influence global literary circles through her distinct storytelling style. Her 2025/2026 run has been defined by her role as an essential cultural critic and author whose work has become a primary reference point for the modern African experience.
Chinasa Anukam
In 2025, Chinasa’s hit interview series, Is This Seat Taken?, achieved new heights of cultural relevance during its fifth season. By bridging the gap between high-end talk show production and raw, digital-first authenticity, she has spent the past year redefining the celebrity interview format, making it the most coveted seat in the Nigerian entertainment space.
Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu
The bridge between grassroots reporting and digital innovation. As the Managing Editor at HumAngle, Hauwa was named a 2025 FASPE Journalism Fellow and won at the 2025 CJID West Africa Journalism Awards. Over the last year, she has utilised AI-driven documentaries and deeply human narratives to tell the under-reported stories of Northern Nigerian women, transforming the Northern Hibiscus ecosystem into a vital hub for Hausa-speaking youth and social advocacy
Tobi Ayeni (MissTechy)
The definitive storyteller of the digital age. In 2025, Tobi Ayeni received the Lord’s Achievers Award for Content Creation and represented Africa at the UNESCO-UNEVOC Global Forum. By breaking down complex technologies into accessible, stylish, and bite-sized content, she has spent the last 12 months ensuring that the average Nigerian woman is not just a consumer of technology but an empowered participant in the digital future.
8) The MVP: Sports
These are the record-breakers and history-makers. This award celebrates the athletes who represented the continent on the global stage and left everything on the field, court, or track.
Favour Ofili
The fastest woman over 150m in history. In May 2025, at the Adidas Atlanta City Games, Favour Ofili delivered a performance for the ages, shattering the world record with a time of 15.85s. By becoming the first woman in history to run the distance in under 16 seconds, she has solidified her status as the new face of global sprinting and a primary contender for every podium in the 2026 season.
Rena Wakama
The tactical mastermind behind Africa’s basketball dynasty. In August 2025, Rena Wakama led D’Tigress to a historic fifth consecutive AfroBasket title in Abidjan, defeating Mali 78–64. As the first female head coach to win the tournament, her leadership not only secured Nigeria’s seventh overall title but also earned her the Best Coach honours and a guaranteed spot for the team on the 2026 global stage.
Rasheedat Ajibade
The heartbeat of the Super Falcons. In November 2025, Rasheedat was named to the final three-woman shortlist for the CAF Women’s Player of the Year. Throughout 2025, her elite leadership and clinical versatility were pivotal to Nigeria’s record-extending continental triumph, during which she was also named the WAFCON 2025 Best Player.
Chiamaka Nnadozie
The undisputed best goalkeeper in the world. In September 2025, Chiamaka was ranked 4th for the Women’s Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris—the highest ever ranking for an African keeper. Her last year was defined by leading the Super Falcons to their 10th WAFCON title in July 2025, where she was officially crowned the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper.
Tobi Amusan
The resilient queen of the hurdles. After a challenging start to the year, Tobi Amusan roared back to the global podium in September 2025, clinching the Silver Medal in the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Ending the year as the 3rd-ranked hurdler in the world, her 2025/2026 run is a blueprint for elite endurance and world-class recovery.
Next Read: The Full State Of Love Report 2026
9) The Muse: Fashion & Style
These are the visual storytellers and aesthetic icons. This award celebrates the designers, models, and muses who translated our culture into couture and made the world look at us with awe.
Veekee James
The undisputed director of the 2025 red carpet. Veekee James achieved a historic milestone at the 2025 AMVCAs, where her custom-sculpted couture dominated every Best Dressed conversation. Her year was defined by a relentless series of viral trends and the launch of high-impact bridal and evening wear collections that solidified her status as Nigeria’s most influential contemporary couturier.
Kanyinsola Onalaja
The global face of Nigerian craftsmanship. In October 2025, Kanyinsola opened Lagos Fashion Week with her “Marked” (SS26) collection. Throughout the year, her signature beadwork and 3D textures moved from the runway to the world stage, dressing international icons and securing her brand’s place in the most prestigious global luxury stockists.
Renike Olusanya
In 2025, Renike (Morenike Olusanya) achieved a historic milestone as a JCI Ten Outstanding Young Person honouree for her cultural achievements. Her year was defined by a massive dual impact: while her visual storytelling reimagined the identity of the modern African woman through global collaborations with brands like Dark & Lovely and Hulu, she simultaneously scaled her fashion brand, Bawsty, into a reference point for size-inclusive luxury. By fusing her technical artistic skill with business acumen, she has spent the last 12 months proving that the modern muse is also a visionary founder, redefining fit and representation for fuller-busted women across the continent.
Lisa Folawiyo
In 2025, Lisa Folawiyo was celebrated as the Marie Claire Power Issue cover star, a recognition of her twenty-year legacy in redefining Ankara through intricate hand-beading. Over the last 12 months, she has expanded her global retail footprint and continued to serve as the industry’s north star for sophisticated, culturally-rooted design.
Naomi Gbinije
The definitive supermodel of the era. 2025 marked Naomi’s official transition from a seasoned pro to a global muse. As the primary face of Andrea Iyamah and the standout star of Lagos Fashion Week 2025, she has spent the last 12 months setting the professional standard for African modelling on the world stage.
10) The Breakout
These are the women who weren’t on the mainstream radar 12 months ago but have since become unavoidable, brilliant, and the ones to watch. This award celebrates those who made the most significant entrance into the cultural consciousness this year.
Political Baby
The definitive Baddie Scholar of the year. In 2025, she transitioned from a niche creator into a powerhouse video essayist, garnering over 10 million views for her sharp, high-production deep dives into the intersection of Nigerian pop culture and politics. Her work has redefined digital commentary, making complex sociopolitical analysis both viral and aspirational for a new generation of thinkers.
Bagetti
The historic first lady of Jonzing World. In 2025, Bagetti evolved from a highly anticipated signee into a formidable chart presence, successfully carrying the mantle as the first female artist from the label that launched Rema and Ruger. With the viral success of her debut EP New Dawn and the standout anthem Hard Girl, her 2025/2026 run, highlighted by global radio play on SiriusXM and high-energy live showcases, has established her as the new blueprint for female Afropop dominance.
Esther Okoronkwo
The Super Falcons’ most lethal new weapon. In July 2025, Esther emerged as the breakout MVP of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), scoring decisive goals in the quarter-finals and the final to secure Nigeria’s 10th continental title. Her composure and big-game temperament earned her the Fans’ Player of the Tournament award, marking the most explosive debut year for a Nigerian striker in a decade.
Uzoamaka Power
Returning to the list for a second time and earning a double nomination, 2025 marked the official coronation of Uzoamaka’s Power era. Transitioning from an indie darling to a global force, she earned Best Lead Actress nominations at the 2025 AMVCAs, featured in the Cannes-winning My Father’s Shadow, and made her landmark directorial debut with Siraam. Her evolution from a one-to-watch actress into a dominant writer-director is the definitive level-up of the year.
Salma Philips
In 2025, Salma Phillips executed the industry’s most significant pivot, co-founding the Arewa Tech Fest and launching the $50 Million Arewa Tech Fund to catalyse innovation in Northern Nigeria. By bridging her media legacy with deep-tech advocacy, she has spent the last year as a UNESCO Ambassador and the primary driver of a movement designed to put Northern women at the forefront of the global digital economy.
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