2025 PMI Awards: Africa’s Rising Stars Shine as Ghana Scores Big and PMI U.S. Backs Small Businesses

A wave of project-management‑driven success stories is breaking across two continents today. In Phoenix, Arizona, the 2025 Project Management Institute (PMI) Awards have confirmed Sub‑Saharan Africa as a true rising force in global project delivery. At the same time, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses, PMI U.S., have launched a multimillion‑dollar push with the Urban League of Broward County to accelerate small business growth. ^[1]

Together, these developments spotlight how disciplined project management and targeted partnerships are reshaping economies — from Ghana’s telecom sector and Angola’s space ecosystem to underserved business communities in South Florida.

Africa takes the spotlight at the 2025 PMI Awards

The 2025 PMI Awards were unveiled at the PMI Global Summit 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, celebrating individuals, teams, chapters, and organizations that are “shaping how the future gets made” with project management. ^[2]

This year, Sub‑Saharan Africa stood out with a cluster of major recognitions:

A global individual award for a young Angolan space engineer
A regional PMO of the Year title for a Ghanaian telecom giant
A leadership award for a Côte d’Ivoire chapter volunteer
A social‑impact honorable mention for a South African education project

Local outlets such as Asaase Radio, Mining Weekly, and News Ghana have highlighted how these honors underscore the continent’s growing influence in complex, high‑stakes projects. ^[3]

PMI’s own announcement of the global winners confirms that the 2025 cohort reflects “the very best of what project professionals bring to the world: creativity, dedication, and the ability to transform bold ideas into meaningful outcomes.” ^[4]

Ghana shines with two major recognitions

Ghana is one of the biggest winners from today’s coverage of the 2025 PMI Awards, earning two prestigious recognitions: ^[5]

MTN Ghana Project Management Office – Africa PMO of the Year
PMI Ghana Chapter – Regional Finalist for PMI Chapter of the Year (Sub‑Saharan Africa)

According to News Ghana, MTN Ghana’s Project Management Office (PMO) was named Africa PMO of the Year, a regional stream within PMI’s global PMO of the Year Awards. The award recognizes PMOs that deliver exceptional value by aligning strategy, execution, and leadership. ^[6]

The MTN Ghana PMO distinguished itself by:

Aligning large‑scale technology initiatives with core business strategy
Driving governance frameworks that support rapid but controlled innovation
Enabling consistent customer‑centric delivery across a fast‑evolving telecom landscape

Local reporting emphasizes that this recognition places Ghana “at the forefront of enterprise project management maturity in Africa”, positioning MTN Ghana as a regional benchmark for how large organizations can use PMOs to drive digital transformation and operational excellence. ^[7]

Meanwhile, the PMI Ghana Chapter has been confirmed by PMI’s global release as a regional finalist for the Chapter of the Year Award, representing Sub‑Saharan Africa alongside chapters from New Zealand, Bulgaria, Brazil, the UAE, and the United States. ^[8]

News Ghana notes that this finalist spot reflects years of work in: ^[9]

Raising professional standards in project management
Providing training, networking, and mentorship for Ghanaian practitioners
Engaging businesses and public institutions around good project governance

For Ghana, the combination of corporate and community‑level recognition suggests a maturing ecosystem where both industry and professional bodies are aligned around structured, outcomes‑driven project delivery.

Angola, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa: a new generation of project leaders

Africa’s PMI success in 2025 reaches far beyond Ghana. Across the continent, three other standout stories are attracting attention today. ^[10]

Marco Romero – Angola’s space‑sector trailblazer

Marco Romero of Angola has been named global winner of the 2025 PMI Rising Leader Award, which honors early‑career professionals already making major contributions to the field. ^[11]

Coverage from Asaase Radio and Mining Weekly outlines his work:

Romero works as a Ballistic and Navigation Satellite Operator Specialist at Angola’s Office for Space Affairs.
He serves as National Point of Contact for the Space Generation Advisory Council.
He has led initiatives including an analog space site in Namibe, space mission design workshops, and STEM‑focused, project‑based learning programs. ^[12]

One signature initiative, “PMI Angola Chapter Goes to Space,” guided 30 students through planning and launching two stratospheric balloon missions in November 2025, demonstrating in real time how structured project methodologies can tame highly ambitious goals. ^[13]

Stéphanie‑Laure Zoro – Côte d’Ivoire’s chapter leadership champion

From Côte d’Ivoire, Stéphanie‑Laure Zoro has been honored with the PMI Chapter Leadership Impact Award, which recognizes volunteer leaders who elevate their chapters through mentorship, collaboration, and innovation. ^[14]

Regional reporting credits Zoro with:

Strengthening the West African project management community
Encouraging cross‑border collaboration among PMI chapters
Nurturing the next generation of project professionals across Francophone Africa

South Africa’s Greenpoint Educational Dome – sustainable education in focus

In South Africa, the Greenpoint Educational Dome has earned an Honourable Mention in the Social Project category of the PMI Project of the Year Awards. ^[15]

The project stands out for:

Promoting environmental awareness and sustainability
Championing the use of mass timber construction
Using thoughtful design and rigorous project management to expand access to inspiring educational spaces

Taken together, these achievements show how project management is being adapted to local contexts — from orbital ambitions to green building — while still meeting global standards of rigor and impact.

PMI U.S. and Urban League of Broward County: opening doors for small businesses

While the Project Management Institute Awards spotlight professional excellence globally, another “PMI” — Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses (“PMI U.S.”) — is drawing attention in the small‑business arena.

A new press release from PRNewswire confirms that PMI U.S. has entered into a multi‑year partnership with the Urban League of Broward County (ULBC) in Florida. ^[16]

Key elements of the partnership include:

A US$400,000 donation over three years from PMI U.S. to ULBC and its subsidiary, the Central County Community Development Corporation (CCCDC). ^[17]
Co‑hosting PowerPitch South Florida, a one‑day summit and pitch competition designed to accelerate regional economic growth by supporting local small businesses. ^[18]
Providing participating entrepreneurs with seed capital, mentorship, and access to networks that are often out of reach for under‑resourced founders. ^[19]

At PowerPitch South Florida: ^[20]

Kimba Williams, founder and CEO of Kushae, took first place, winning US$25,000 to scale her operations.
Nadia Davis of Show Agents and Kay Richardson of Next of Kin were named runners‑up, receiving US$10,000 and US$5,000 respectively.

ULBC’s president and CEO, Dr. Germaine Smith Baugh, hailed the initiative as the kind of practical support that helps entrepreneurs “build, create, and keep our community strong,” especially at a time when running a small business is more challenging than ever. ^[21]

According to the release, PMI U.S. has now committed more than US$1 million in philanthropic giving in Florida, supporting organizations ranging from veteran‑focused charities and anti‑trafficking initiatives to mental‑health and community‑development nonprofits. ^[22]

Important distinction:
Project Management Institute (PMI), which runs the PMI Awards, is a global professional association for project managers.
Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses (“PMI U.S.”) are part of a tobacco company and use the same acronym but are entirely separate entities. ^[23]

Why this moment matters for Africa — and for inclusive growth

The stories emerging on 18 November 2025 reveal a deeper trend: project management is no longer a back‑office discipline; it is becoming a frontline driver of economic and social transformation.

From the African side, reports from Asaase Radio and News Ghana, cross‑checked with PMI’s own data, point to three critical shifts: ^[24]

Explosive demand for project talent
- PMI’s Global Project Management Talent Gap 2025 projections suggest Sub‑Saharan Africa may need up to 2.1 million additional project professionals by 2035, a roughly 75% surge in demand — among the fastest growth rates in the world.
Project management as a tool for national development
- From mega‑infrastructure such as the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria to renewable energy mega‑projects like Morocco’s Noor Power Station, African project teams are now regularly delivering to world‑class standards, as noted by former AfDB president Dr. Akinwumi Adesina at PMI’s Global Summit Series Africa. ^[25]
Youth and innovation at the center
- Rising stars like Marco Romero show how young professionals are using structured project methodologies to push into new frontiers like space technology, STEM education, and cross‑border collaboration. ^[26]

On the U.S. side, the PMI U.S.–Urban League partnership reflects a complementary dynamic: applying disciplined planning, capital, and mentorship to small businesses, which are often the project managers of their own survival — juggling product development, hiring, compliance, and growth, frequently without formal frameworks. ^[27]

What to watch next

For readers tracking project management, African economic development, or inclusive entrepreneurship, today’s news suggests several storylines to follow:

Ghana’s next move: How will MTN Ghana and the PMI Ghana Chapter leverage this renewed visibility to expand training, certification, and large‑scale transformation projects? ^[28]
Regional collaboration in West Africa: With leaders like Stéphanie‑Laure Zoro recognized on a global stage, expect stronger links between Anglophone and Francophone PMI communities, and more cross‑border initiatives. ^[29]
Scaling the PowerPitch model: If the PMI U.S.–Urban League collaboration succeeds in Broward County, the pitch‑plus‑mentorship model could be replicated in other U.S. regions facing similar small‑business financing gaps. ^[30]

For now, the common thread between Phoenix, Accra, Luanda, Abidjan and Fort Lauderdale is clear: when project management meets purpose — and when capital meets community — the odds of lasting impact go up dramatically.

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