Held during the Forum’s Gala Dinner in partnership with Forvis Mazars, the awards honoured organisations and executives whose leadership, innovation and impact are helping reshape Africa’s economic landscape.
Spiro received the “Local Impact Champion” award for its rapid expansion in Africa’s electric mobility sector and its contribution to sustainable transportation solutions across the continent.
The company, regarded as Africa’s leading electric mobility firm, raised a record USD 150 million between late 2025 and early 2026.
Spiro currently operates more than 80,000 electric motorbikes and over 2,500 battery swapping stations, while surpassing 30 million battery swaps to date.
Its operations span several African countries, with assembly plants in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria, supporting its ambition to manufacture electric bikes in Africa for African and global markets.
Spiro was recognised alongside other major continental players across different sectors.
Cassava Technologies won the “Pan-African Champion” award for its role in advancing digital transformation through an integrated ecosystem that includes artificial intelligence, cloud services, cybersecurity, fintech and data centres operating across 94 countries.
Ecobank received the “Gender Leader” award for its efforts to advance women’s inclusion across its workforce and through its Ellevate programme, which has facilitated USD 780 million in financing for women-led businesses.
The “Family Business” award went to East African Holding, one of Ethiopia’s oldest industrial groups, recognised for its multi-billion-dollar industrial expansion projects, including the Lemi Industrial Park.
Meanwhile, Cauridor earned the “Disrupter of the Year” award for building a cross-border payments platform operating in 36 African countries and surpassing USD 1 billion in annual transaction volume in 2025.
The “CEO of the Year” award was presented to Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group and one of Nigeria’s leading industrialists. His businesses, including BUA Foods and BUA Cement, recorded significant growth in 2025 while his ASR Africa foundation continues to support development initiatives across the continent.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, Abdou Diop, Country Leader of Forvis Mazars in Morocco and Member of the Group Governing Board, said the awards celebrate African enterprises that continue to demonstrate resilience and innovation despite global economic challenges.
“Forvis Mazars is proud to support the trailblazers shaping Africa’s future. Through these awards, we celebrate high-performing African enterprises distinguished by their excellence, resilience, and ability to transform complexity into opportunity,” he said.
Founded in 2012, the Africa CEO Forum has become one of the continent’s leading platforms bringing together business executives, investors, policymakers and heads of state to discuss Africa’s economic future and private sector growth.
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