Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading authority for project professionals, has announced the winners of the 2025 PMI® Awards at a ceremony held during the PMI® Global Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. The prestigious annual awards celebrate the individuals, teams, and organisations that shape the future through excellence in project management.

This year, Sub-Saharan Africa once again proved its growing influence on the global project management stage, with four awardees recognised for their outstanding leadership, innovation, and social impact. Representing Angola, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa, these honourees exemplify how African project professionals are driving transformation across industries, communities, and borders.

Angolan Marco Romero was named the global winner of the 2025 PMI® Rising Leader Award, which honours early-career professionals who are already making significant contributions to the profession. Romero’s recognition underscores the region’s growing youth-driven innovation and its capacity to deliver global standards of project excellence.

“Marco’s win is a testament to the talent and determination that defines Africa’s next generation of project leaders,” said George Asamani, Managing Director, PMI Sub-Saharan Africa. “He embodies the spirit of possibility and purpose that we see across the continent, a belief that great ideas, when managed with rigour and passion, can change lives and reshape industries.”

In recent years, Marco has focused his work on advancing Angola’s emerging space ecosystem and inspiring youth through STEM and project-based learning. As a Ballistic and Navigation Satellite Operator Specialist at the Angolan Office for Space Affairs and National Point of Contact for the Space Generation Advisory Council, he has led initiatives such as establishing an Analog Site in Namibe, organising Space Mission Design Workshops, and developing programmes that bridge science, technology, and project management.

As one of the lead mentors alongside Marco Carlos, he played a pivotal role in transforming the “PMI Angola Chapter Goes to Space” concept into a structured, results-driven learning experience. Two stratospheric balloons were successfully launched in November 2025 and recovered. Drawing on his project management expertise and passion for education, Marco guided 30 students through every phase of the project, demonstrating how professional project management frameworks can make even the most ambitious ideas achievable.  

The MTN Ghana Project Management Office (PMO) was named the Africa PMO of the Year, a category within the prestigious PMO of the Year® Awards. This honour recognises PMOs that deliver exceptional value through leadership, strategic alignment, and executional excellence.

MTN Ghana’s PMO stood out for its transformative role in aligning large-scale technology initiatives with business strategy, demonstrating how disciplined project governance enables innovation and customer value creation at scale. Their recognition places Ghana at the forefront of enterprise project management maturity in Africa and positions MTN as a model for how African organisations can leverage PMOs to drive operational excellence and strategic agility.

The PMI Ghana Chapter was named a regional finalist for the prestigious PMI® Chapter of the Year Award, which celebrates chapters that demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation, and impact within the global PMI community.

Stéphanie-Laure Zoro from the PMI Côte d’Ivoire Chapter was honored with the PMI® Chapter Leadership Impact Award, which recognises volunteer leaders who elevate their chapters through mentorship, collaboration, and innovation. Zoro’s leadership has played a pivotal role in strengthening the project management community in West Africa, fostering collaboration across borders, and nurturing the next generation of professionals.

South Africa’s Greenpoint Educational Dome, designed to promote environmental awareness, sustainability, and the adoption of mass timber building practices, received an Honourable Mention in the Social Project category of the PMI® Project of the Year Awards. The project was celebrated for its creative use of design and project management to enhance access to educational spaces, demonstrating how project methodologies can support sustainable community development.

The achievements of these winners reflect a broader transformation across Sub-Saharan Africa, where project management is becoming a cornerstone of national development, enterprise growth, and youth empowerment.

Speaking recently at the Global Summit Series Africa, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, former President of the African Development Bank, noted that African project professionals are now delivering world-class results, from the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria to the Noor Power Station in Morocco. They demonstrate that Africa’s talent can plan, execute, and deliver complex projects to global standards.

“These accolades are catalysts to shine a spotlight on project management as a career of choice for Africa’s next generation. As PMI’s Global Project Management Talent Gap 2025 report shows, Sub-Saharan Africa will need to add up to 2.1 million project professionals by 2035, marking a 75% surge in demand, one of the fastest growth rates globally. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report echoes this outlook, identifying project management as one of the top roles expected to see sustained growth globally,” adds Asamani.