Biography
Abudu Mosunmola (born 11 September 1964), commonly known as Mo Abudu, is a successful woman who was named “Africa’s Most Successful Woman” by Forbes magazine.
She is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist, talk show host, television producer, human resources management expert, media personality and philanthropist.
Mo Abudu is the founder and CEO of EbonyLife, Africa’s first global black entertainment network, launched on Multichoice DSTV channel 165 on 1 July 2013.
The Independent and Slate Afrique have compared her to Oprah Winfrey, calling her “the Oprah of Africa” and “the Winfrey of Nigeria”. We think we should combine the two and call her the Oprah Winfrey of Africa.
Nigerian media mogul
Mo Abudu |
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 Mo Abudu: History • Biography • Photos |
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| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Real name: | Mosunmola Abudu |
| Stage name: | Mo Abudu |
| Born: | September 11, 1964 (age 59) |
| Place of birth: | London, United Kingdom |
| State of origin: | Ondo State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Height: | 1.6 minutes |
| Parents: | Lawrence Akintunde |
| Siblings: | Do not have |
| Husband • Spouse: | Tokunbo Abudu (shared) |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | Do not have |
| The children: | Temidayo Abudu, Adekoyejo Abudu |
| Job: | Businesswoman • Television Personality |
| Net worth: | 650 million USD |
Early life and education
Mo Abudu was born to Mr and Mrs Lawrence Akintunde on 11 September 1964 in London, United Kingdom. She was born to parents from Ondo State, Nigeria, her tribe is Yoruba.
Mo Abudu grew up in London and attended Ridgeway School, MidKent College and West Kent College during his university studies.
She also holds an MSc in Human Resource Development from the University of Westminster, London.
Career
Mo Abudu started her career as a recruitment consultant in 1987 at Atlas Recruitment Consultancy in the UK. She then went on to work at Starform Group, a well-known business information company in the UK. At Starform Group, she was responsible for the research, design and production of various conferences and seminars.
Mo Abudu moved to Nigeria in 1993 to work as the Human Resources and Administration Manager for Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (now ExxonMobil). At ExxonMobile, she learned business discipline and how to create a corporate culture, which came in handy when she went out on her own.
Like most entrepreneurs, they saw a problem and set out to solve it. Mo Abudu identified a problem that needed a solution: organizations needed trained people to join their workforce to move to the next level. So she resigned from Exxon Mobile after almost a decade and founded Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited in 2000. Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited (VLA) is one of the fastest growing Human Resources consulting firms in Nigeria.
Industries can benefit from the company’s human resource initiatives and management solutions.
She also runs a management training centre at the Protea Hotel in Oakwood Park, Lagos.
Mo Abudu has always been passionate about telling the African story accurately. That’s how Inspire Africa was born. Inspire Africa is a website dedicated to promoting African culture and diversity.
The brand launched ‘Moments with Mo’, Africa’s first daily discussion show celebrating the continent’s achievements and people. She wanted Africa to be the place to tell its own story. We have a diverse culture and skill set, but our successes have traditionally been pushed to the back burner while negative stories are highlighted. Moments with Mo changed all that.
The Moment with Mo is her executive producer and host. The talk show airs in 49 African countries and on cable TV in the UK. Many A-list celebrities, governors, presidents and Nobel laureates have visited Mo Abudu, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
Moments with Mo isn’t the only thing she’s created. Mo Abudu has created a number of television shows based on the same premise of telling the story of Africa, although they’re aimed at different groups.
One of her initiatives, The Debaters, is a reality TV show that gives African youth a voice. There is also Naija Diamonds, an award-winning documentary series produced by Diamond Bank that highlights Nigeria’s unsung heroes.
Ebony Life TV is all about inclusion. In 2013, she launched EbonyLife TV, the world’s first black entertainment and lifestyle network.
Media and Entertainment City Africa is the parent company of EbonyLife TV (MEC Africa). It first aired on MultiChoice DSTV CH 165 before moving to Star Times Network earlier this year. The channel has produced and aired over 5,000 hours of original drama, talk shows, entertainment and reality shows.
EbonyLife TV announced several new projects in 2018, including a Video on Demand (VoD) service in Africa, EbonyLife ON, and three projects in partnership with Sony Pictures Television.
In 2014, Mo Abudu founded Ebony Life Films, a film production company, to pursue her goal of showcasing African stories. With the film ‘Fifty’, she made her debut as a film producer.
The film follows four friends in Lagos who are at the peak of their careers and are forced to reevaluate their personal lives while juggling work and family obligations.
Ebony Life Films is a member of the ELFIKE Film Collective, which created the romantic comedy “The Wedding Party.”
In 2016, one of Nigeria’s biggest hits was The Wedding Party. FilmOne Distribution, EbonyLife Films, Inkblot Productions and Koga Studios are part of the ELFIKE Film Collective, a collaboration of prominent Nigerian filmmakers.
These studios use their years of knowledge and resources to produce high quality Nigerian films that have international appeal.
Awards & Nominations
- Recognized by Forbes Africa as the First Woman to Own a Pan-African TV Channel in 2013.
- 25 most powerful women in the world in 2013
- Entrepreneur of the Year at the International Women’s Day Forum in New York 2014
- Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) from Babcock University in 2014
- Listed as one of ‘Forbes in Africa 2015’
- Film Producer of the Year (English) at the City People Film Awards 2015
- Special Recognition 2017
- IoD Entrepreneur Award presented by the Institute of Directors 2017
- FAME Award for Excellence 2017
- Variety’s 50 Most Influential Women in Entertainment 2018
- Glazia Person of the Year Awards 2018
- House of Commons African Achievers Awards 2018
Personal life
Tokunbo Abudu, a lawyer and businessman, is the husband of Mo Abudu. Temidayo Abudu and Adekoyejo Abudu, their daughter and son, were born. Their relationship continued even after their divorce.
Temidayo Abudu, daughter of Mo Abudu, got married in Los Angeles with a chic California theme.
Adebola Makanjuola is her daughter’s husband. Mo Abudu’s daughter is a copywriter and film producer. Unfortunately, the bride’s father, Tokunbo Abudu, was unable to attend the lavish wedding.
Is Mo Abudu related to FK Abudu? Yes, Mo Abudu is related to FK Abudu through marriage into her family.
Net worth
Media mogul Mo Abudu’s current net worth is estimated to be $650 million (but no reputable third-party net worth estimation platform has confirmed this).
She makes a lot of money from her resort, Ebony Life Place, and the money she gets from the movie EbonyLife.
Social media
- Twitter: Mo Abudu @moabudu
- Instagram: Mo Abudu (@moabudu)
- Facebook: Mo Abudu
