Institute Lists 6 Africans Among 50 Standout Rising Leaders

Three Nigerians are among the six Africans honoured by Project Management Institute (PMI) as rising leaders on the continent.

PMI is a professional organisation for project management and the authority for a growing global community of millions of project professionals with a place on the prestigious Future50 list.

The list features 50 outstanding Rising Leaders transforming the world and represents a new cohort of project professionals driving transformation across all PMI regions and industries.

Senior Education Specialist, World Bank, Aisha Garba; Director and Principal Architect, cmDesign Atelier, Tosin Oshinowo and Senior Project Manager, IT Programmes and Portfolio Management, Union Bank of Nigeria, John Ndubuisi, have been recognised by PMI for their efforts at reshaping the future through projects. The list also features three other Africans Kathleen Siminyu from Kenya, Manuel Praia from Angola, and Abdalah Maiguizo from Niger.

In the world today, global megatrends such as digital disruption, demographic shifts, and the climate crisis are driving the future of business and society.

At the same time, the global economy needs 25 million new project professionals by 2030. The 2023 Future 50 honourees collectively set an example and lead the charge in problem-solving while creating a better world through projects.

Congratulating the F50s, MD, Sub Saharan Africa, PMI, George Asamani, said: “We remain committed to equipping the youth with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to not only embrace change but also to be the drivers of it.

Your achievements today are a testament to Africa’s incredible talent and potential.

“You are the architects of the future, and your vision and determination will undoubtedly lead us to new heights and amplify the community’s impact.”

Adolescent girls in Nigeria face myriad obstacles to completing secondary education, from pervasive poverty to poor infrastructure to forced early marriage. Aisha Garba is helping to eradicate such barriers and paving the way to increased economic opportunities that would benefit all of Nigeria. A senior education officer at the World Bank, Garba leads the 10-person team behind the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, a five-year program launched in 2020.

The programme’s ambitious portfolio includes projects to build and rehabilitate schools, improve safety conditions in and around schools, deliver health and nutrition information (including reproductive and menstrual hygiene), and create cash-transfer programs to incentivise households to send girls to school.

Ms. Oshinowo’s latest project, designing a new village for Nigerians displaced by violent insurgents, earned her a place on the coveted list. After Boko Haram launched a brutal attack on Ngarannam, Nigeria, in 2015, many of the residents who fled spent years in refugee camps. Oshinowo worked to provide a new path forward, delivering on the studio’s mission to “create contemporary solutions that constantly push the boundaries of architecture in Nigeria and the African continent.”

Over the past decade, John Ndubuisi has had a front-row seat to Nigeria’s booming fintech revolution. In a time of such staggering change, he knows the value of being ready to pivot and clearly communicating the rationale for the shift.

After startup, Titan Trust Bank acquired century-old Union Bank in 2022, Ndubuisi was tapped to lead a project to merge capabilities and help ensure the company doesn’t get left behind as the industry hurtles toward its fintech future. One standout effort: building a team that could iterate its way to a shared banking app.