Founder of BUA Group Abdul Samad Rabiu has been named CEO of the Year at the Africa CEO Awards 2026 held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Mr Rabiu was among six business leaders and companies honoured at the event organised alongside the Africa CEO Forum.
According to the organisers, the award recipients were recognised for their contributions to Africa’s economic growth and business development.
Rabiu leads BUA Foods and BUA Cement. Organisers also noted his involvement in social development initiatives through ASR Africa.
Speaking at the forum, Rabiu said African countries must focus on processing their resources locally to create jobs and strengthen their economies.
“Africa is rich in resources, yet too often sends them abroad unprocessed, along with the jobs, skills, and the value that belongs here in Africa. This must change,” he said.
Abdul Samad Rabiu said Nigeria’s cement industry showed what could be achieved through local production and investment.
“15-20 years ago, Nigeria was importing over 90 percent of the cement it was consuming, and then there was a deliberate policy, and today, Nigeria is producing over 50 million tonnes of cement,” he said.
He also said recent global disruptions had shown the importance of local production capacity and self-sufficiency.
“The current situation in the Middle East underscores the importance of local value addition and self-sufficiency,” he added.
Other winners at the Africa CEO Awards 2026 included Cassava Technologies, Spiro, Ecobank, East African Holding and Cauridor.
