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Pulse, Africa’s leading innovative media company, has officially announced that the fifth edition of the Pulse Influencer Awards is set to take place in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, with Uganda celebrating its fourth edition. The annual event recognises individuals who have leveraged digital platforms to distribute value, share ideas, and build influential communities online.
Organised by Pulse, the Awards in the past four editions have leveraged the media company’s presence across 6 African countries and an audience reach of over 70 million people to increase pan-African visibility, secure brand partnerships and build credibility for nominees across various markets.
This year, the platform builds on that impact by focusing more intentionally on institutional credibility and long-term value. This edition introduces deeper collaboration with stakeholders across Africa’s creator economy through strategic co-created growth programmes and new support channels for both new and established creators.
As part of this expansion, Pulse is also launching an initiative to equip emerging creators with the tools, exposure, and strategic connections they need to scale sustainably in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape.
Commenting on the launch of the 5th edition, Katharina Link, CEO of Pulse, stated: “The creator economy is fast becoming one of Africa’s most dynamic growth engines. With this fifth edition, Pulse Influencer Awards continues its mission of not just celebrating leading creators but strengthening the entire ecosystem that enables them to thrive.”
Kanyinsola Aroyewun, Director of Marketing and Content Growth, Africa at Pulse, stated: “Every year, the Pulse Influencer Awards becomes a powerful lens into how young Africans are shaping conversations online. From the nomination to the final stages, the awards have continued to drive massive engagement across our platforms while helping us surface fresh voices and cultural shifts that matter to our audiences and beyond.”
Public nominations opened in August, with jury review and public voting to follow in the coming weeks. Past editions have drawn millions of public votes, secured strong brand partnerships, and driven significant audience engagement across channels.
To improve transparency and trust, Pulse is enhancing its process this year. While public voting remains a core component, vote counts will now be hidden from the public in order to reduce performance pressure on nominees and promote more balanced evaluation.
The 2025 jury features a prominent line-up of creative and cultural icons bringing viewpoints from tech, fashion, public sector policy, music, and diverse sectors to ensure a credible and rigorous nominee selection process in each market. The panel will determine the top 10 nominees per category who will advance to the public vote. The jury in each country consists of:
Nigeria: Mo Abudu – Media Mogul & CEO of EbonyLife, Obi Asika – Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Kaffy – Dancer & Founder, Imagneto Dance Company, Fisayo Fosudo – Tech Creator & YouTuber, and others
Kenya: Dan Obura – Digital Strategist, Linda Okero – Creative Strategist, and others.
Uganda: Eunice Gachugu, Talent Director at Saladin Marketing, Lizel Muwaya, Communications Specialist at Leading Women Africa, and others
Ghana to announce the final jury list soon.
In addition to this, some significant changes have been made in streamlining the category list to focus on core areas of influence. The full category list includes:
Industry Categories are Fashion Influencer, Lifestyle, Music, Dance, Food, Business, Comedy, Most Influential, Tech, Sports, Next Gen Influencer of the Year, Health & Fitness Influencer of the Year.
Channel-Specific Categories include TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Podcast, and Snapchat Influencer of the Year.
Two Pan-African Awards will also be announced to honour the Positive Impact Influencer of the Year and the Most Innovative Influencer of the Year.
Each country has introduced new categories to reflect local trends and evolving content formats. These include additions of Couple Influencer of the Year in Nigeria; All-Star Influencer of the Year and Streamer Influencer of the Year in Ghana, and Corporate & Brand Influencer of the Year, Sustainability & Climate Change Influencer of the Year, Visual Arts Influencer of the Year, Campus Influencer of the Year, and Travel Influencer of the Year being introduced in Kenya.
For nomination guidelines, visit the Pulse Influencer Awards pages on Nigeria; Ghana; Kenya and the Ugandan websites.
For general updates, follow Pulse Influencer Awards on Instagram.
About Pulse
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Pulse is Africa’s leading innovative media company, informing and engaging the continent’s young audience across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire. Pulse operates news platforms, social channels, and production units across both Anglophone and Francophone markets.
Pulse reaches over 60 million people monthly through Pulse Media, Pulse Sports, Pulse Marketing, and Business Insider Africa. Pulse Marketing serves more than 100 clients across the continent and beyond with creative, strategy-driven digital marketing solutions that deliver measurable results. The company is also the licensed publisher of Business Insider Africa, a premier destination for business and economic insights tailored to Africa’s digital audience.