By Adonis Byemelwa
Kigali—Abdul Samad Rabiu emerged as one of the defining figures at the 2026 Africa CEO Forum 2026 after receiving the forum’s annual CEO Award, recognition reserved for business leaders judged to be reshaping Africa’s economic landscape through large-scale industrial investment and long-term transformation.
Rabiu’s business empire spans the cement, food processing, and manufacturing sectors, which are increasingly viewed as central to Africa’s industrialisation ambitions and efforts to reduce dependence on imported goods and on raw commodity exports.
The scale of his companies’ recent performance reinforced the significance of the award. BUA Foods recorded annual revenue of 1.77 trillion Naira in 2025, while BUA Cement reached a market capitalisation of approximately 14.16 trillion Naira.
The forum’s organising committee stated that the award recognises leaders with the capacity to drive broad social impact while transforming Africa’s economic direction through industrial-scale and long-term investment.
The recognition came as African business leaders gathered in Kigali to debate what they described as the continent’s next economic phase: moving beyond political ambition toward globally competitive industrial capacity, infrastructure expansion and stronger mobilisation of African private capital.
Across discussions at the forum, executives repeatedly returned to one central theme: Africa’s future growth will depend on industrial self-sufficiency, regional integration and the scaling of African-owned enterprises capable of competing internationally.
In his acceptance speech, Rabiu argued that Africa can no longer be viewed as a peripheral participant in the global economy.
“The core issue facing the entire continent today is whether it can complete all preparations to implement large-scale on-the-ground actions,” he said.
The Kigali forum also released its latest list of award-winning African enterprises, highlighting companies recognised for achievements in women’s economic empowerment, investment in physical industry and cross-border digital financial infrastructure.
Analysts and investors attending the forum said the range of winners reflected the deeper structural transformation underway across Africa’s economy, where industrial production, financial technology and infrastructure are becoming increasingly interconnected.
The broader message emerging from Kigali was clear: only African enterprises capable of scaling rapidly and operating across borders will be positioned to shape the continent’s future economic landscape.
