Described by Forbes as Africa’s Most Successful Woman and rated as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television by The Hollywood Reporter, Mo Abudu is one hell of a woman. A media mogul and philanthropist, her network EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first global black entertainment network, ranked among the top 25% of most-watched channels on DStv within its first year of broadcast. That means she must have gotten something extremely right.
But what do you know about her? Follow me, and let’s find out together.
Table of Content hide 1Biography 2Career 2.1Moments With Mo 2.2Ebonylife TV 2.3Achievements and Honors 3Philanthropy 4Net Worth 5FamilyBiography
Mo Abudu was born Mosunmola Abudu on September 11, 1964, in Hammersmith, West London, to parents of Ondo state origin in South-west Nigeria. Her father, an engineer, died in 1975, while her mother was a caterer. The first of three girls, she moved to Nigeria at seven to live with her grandparents for four years before returning to England.
Abudu attended Ridgeway School, MidKent College, and West Kent College before earning a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Westminster in London. The University also awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2018 for her contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
She was selected as the brand ambassador for AVON Cosmetics for the African market in 1983. She is also a qualified occupational and personality tester member of the British Psychological Society and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (Honouris Causa) from Babcock University in 2014.
Career
Her professional journey started in 1987 as a recruitment consultant with Atlas Recruitment Consultancy firm in the UK, after which she joined Starform Group, a business information group. At Starform, she was responsible for the research, design, and production of seminars and conferences.
In 1999, Abudu moved to Nigeria, where she began working as the head of Human Resources and Administration at Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (now known as ExxonMobil). She established her firm Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited in 2000 after resigned from ExxonMobil. Also known as VLA, her firm offers human resource initiatives and management solutions to industries and is one of the fastest-growing in its sector in Nigeria.
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Moments With Mo
Having always been passionate about telling Africa’s story the right way, Abudu created Inspire Africa, a platform to celebrate African culture and diversity. This was the birth of Moments with Mo, the first African syndicated daily talk show that celebrates the achievements of Africa and its people. According to Abudu, she wanted Africans to be the ones to tell their stories, saying, “Our success stories have always been pushed to the background, while the ugly ones are magnified.”
Moments with Mo airs across 49 African countries, on cable TV in the UK, and on terrestrial and cable TV in other parts of the world, with Abudu as host. Over 200 episodes had been recorded and aired with topics ranging from lifestyle, health, culture, politics, entertainment, and tradition, to music and inter-racial marriages. She has hosted a plethora of A-list celebrities, governors, presidents, and Nobel Laureates, including the managing director of IMF, Christine Lagarde, and the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton.
According to Abudu, while the show usually highlights the life and accomplishments of a well-known individual, sometimes it features an undiscovered African individual who has, by his or her tenacity and determination, accomplished something, overcome something or become a catalyst for something that makes her or him a role model to others. The show’s success and quest to change the world’s view of Africa and its people led to Abudu’s comparison to Oprah Winfrey, with Slate Afrique and The Independent calling her Nigerian Winfrey and Africa’s Oprah, respectively.
Besides Moments with Mo, Abudu has also created other TV shows to tell Africa’s stories while targeting different demographics. The Debaters is a reality TV show that gives African youths a voice, while Naija Diamonds is an award-winning documentary series that celebrates Nigeria’s unsung heroes.
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Ebonylife TV
Abudu started Ebonylife TV, a network that airs in more than 49 African countries as well as in the UK and the Caribbean, in 2006, to a pan-African audience, with its first broadcast transmitted on July 1, 2013, on DStv Channel 165. Within a year of operations, Ebonylife TV launched a premium, multi-screen video-on-demand (VOD) platform targeting Africans in the diaspora, having ranked among the top 25% of most-watched channels on DStv.
The network followed up on this success by inking a carriage deal with StarTimes, another pay-TV operator, thereby expanding its sub-Sahara African reach. Some of the most notable TV drama series produced by Abudu and aired on Ebonylife TV include On the Real, The Governor, Sons of The Caliphate, Castle & Castle, and Desperate Housewives Africa, in partnership with Disney.
Besides Ebonylife TV, Abudu also established Ebonylife Films in 2014, with Fifty being her first film as executive producer. She also teamed up with ELFIKE Collective in 2016 to produce The Wedding Party, which became Nollywood’s highest-grossing title. Other films she has also produced include The Wedding Party 2, Chief Daddy, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, and Your Excellency (film).
In March 2018, Sony Pictures Television announced its signing of a three-year deal with Ebonylife TV, which would include a co-production of the series The Dahomey Warriors, chronicling the Amazons who opposed French colonialists in a West African kingdom during the 19th century. It was also announced that Abudu would chair the 47th international Emmy Awards gala, which took place on November 25, 2019, in New York. Also, AMC Networks (USA) announced in January 2020 that it was partnering with Ebonylife to produce Nigeria 2099, an afrofuturistic crime drama created by EbonyLife.
In February 2020, Ebonylife TV and Netflix announced a deal signing which saw the streaming giant acquire EbonyLife’s drama series, along with a reality show, The Dating Game, and the feature film, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. Netflix signed a new deal with Ebonylife in June 2020, which saw them work together to create two original series and multiple Netflix-branded films. These included a series based on The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, Lola Shoneyin’s best-selling debut novel, as well as a film adaptation of Death and the King’s Horseman, a play written by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka.
Abudu signed Nigeria’s first-look deal on February 4, 2021, expanding on the partnership struck with Sony in 2018 and complementing the company’s deal with Netflix. Also, on February 17, 2021, Ebonylife partnered with Westbrook Studios, owned by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, to produce a series of television and film projects that are all connected to the African continent.
Netflix launched a movie titled Òlòtūré in September 2020, which is a story written by Mo Abudu that was shot in Lagos and focused mainly on human trafficking in Nigeria.
“Òlòtūré explores a world that very few people know anything about, and this had to be dealt with in a particular way,”
Abudu said, talking about the movie. She also added that the movie was not a documentary, but it sought to address real issues that most of the society can’t see, and it does so by harnessing the talents of some of the country’s top filmmakers and actors to deliver a film that is both profound and intelligent, and breaks bold new genres and stylistic ground for Nollywood.
Abudu launched Ebony Life Place, Nigeria’s first lifestyle and entertainment resort, in December 2019 in Victoria Island, Lagos. She also entered into a partnership with Sony Pictures to set up Alo, which is translated into once upon a time, a writer’s initiative for Africans. On November 29, 2021, BBC Studios announced a development deal inked with EbonyLife Media.
Blood Sisters, a Nigerian crime thriller series described as the first Nigerian Netflix original series, was released through the collaboration between Ebonylife TV and Netflix to critical acclaim.
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Achievements and Honors
- 25 Most Powerful Women in Global TV by Hollywood Reporter (2013)
- First Woman to Own a Pan Africa TV Channel – Forbes Africa (2013)
- Honorary Doctorate Degree (Honoris Causa) from Babcock University (2014)
- Entrepreneur of the Year at International Women’s Day Forum in New York (2014)
- Movie Producer of the Year (English) at City People Movie Awards (2015)
- Listed as one of Forbes Africa Most Successful Women (2015)
- FAME Award of Excellence (2017)
- Special Recognition at City People Movie Awards (2017)
- IoD Entrepreneurial Award by Institute of Directors Nigeria (2017)
- African Achievers Awards at UK House of Common (2018)
- 50 Women Making Impact in the Showbiz by Variety Magazine (2018)
- Glazia Persons of the Year Awards (2018)
- MIPTV’s Médailles d’Honneur (2019)
Abudu was also appointed a Director of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the organization responsible for staging the International Emmy Award, and later selected to chair the 47th International Emmy Awards Gala, held in New York on Monday, November 25, 2019. She was the first African to land the role.
In addition to this, she was named on the Power list 2018 and 2020, an annual list featuring the UK’s top 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage. Abudu is also featured in Ambassador Elliston Rahming’s book, Greatest Blacks Ever: Top 100 Blacks Who Changed the World for Peace. Progress. Prosperity. Pleasure.
Philanthropy
Abudu is the founder of The Inspire Africa Foundation, a non-profit organisation that focuses on raising funds for the implementation of societal and transformation initiatives. In 2009, the foundation launched a charity concert-themed Rock with a Conscience in partnership with other NGOs in order to raise funds to provide for street children.
Also, in partnership with Monero Construction, the foundation built The Habour, a hundred-bed home for street children in Lagos, and has a charity store named ‘The Designer Outlet for Charity.’
Net Worth
Mo Abudu is not only one of Nigeria’s most influential and richest women in Nigeria but is ranked as one of the most successful in Africa as a whole by Forbes. She has an estimated net worth of $650 million (₦270 billion).
Family
Mo Abudu is the first of three sisters and married Tokunbo Abudu, a lawyer and businessman. They have two children, Temidayo Abudu and Adekoyejo Abudu. She is also related through her husband to Feyikemi Abudu, a.k.a. FK Abudu, a Nigerian influencer, and entrepreneur.
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