The annual list of Billboard Global Power Players celebrates industry leaders driving the music business outside the United States, contributing to the nearly 60% of recorded-music revenue generated globally.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
Leading African music executives, Olamide (Founder/CEO, YBNL Nation), Temi Adeniji (Managing Director, Warner Music Africa), Ben Akinbola (Head of Growth, AWAL), and Franck-Alcide Kacou (CEO, Universal Music Africa), have been named to Billboard’s prestigious 2025 Global Power Players list.
The annual list of Billboard Global Power Players celebrates industry leaders driving the music business outside the United States, contributing to the nearly 60% of recorded-music revenue generated globally. It highlights those shaping artiste careers, forging international partnerships, and expanding the reach of music across borders.
Nigerian music, Olamide, whose independent label YBNL Nation has played a defining role in shaping the Afro-Pop soundscape, reflected on the label’s international momentum in his interview with Billboard. “YBNL Nation has made significant strides in expanding our global footprint and solidifying our presence in key international markets”, he said.
Similarly, Ben Akinbola of AWAL highlighted the company’s broadening global impact: “Last year, marquee AWAL artistes like Jungle [in the United Kingdom] and The Beaches [in Canada]—winners of group of the year honors at the BRIT Awards and Juno Awards, respectively—reached new heights in their careers internationally. Building off those international successes, we now also have local artistes charting on every inhabitable continent, with a presence on the ground in over 15 markets”, he explains to Billboard.
Temi Adeniji’s continued leadership at Warner Music Africa has seen the company invest in localised talent development and regional infrastructure, helping amplify African voices in global music circles. Franck-Alcide Kacou, heading Universal Music Africa, remains a central figure in expanding the label’s reach across Francophone and Anglophone Africa.
Their recognition by Billboard marks another major milestone for the African music ecosystem, as its executives take their place alongside the world’s most influential figures in music business leadership.
Check out the complete list of Billboard’s 2025 Global Power Players here.