The first broadcast of the new MTN Y’ello Star project gave us seven contestants who got a “YES” and made it to the house, seven more contestants secured spots to the Y’ello Star Hub last Saturday after impressive performances during the national sing-off. Contrary to the initially announced 13 spots in the Y’ello Star Hub, the judging trio of Omawumi, Banky W, and Olisa Adibua made a surprise selection bringing the number of finalists to 14.
Rakel and Innocent were the first pair to grace the stage for Saturday’s sing-off to secure a spot in the Y’ello Star hub. They performed a blend of popular Nigerian songs. Afterwards, the duo of Caesar and Rael took to the stage and impressed guest judge Olisa Adibua who rated their performance highly.
The pair of Gideon and IBK was applauded by Banky W for their synergy in delivering their song mashup. Before carrying on with other performances, the judges had a little chit chat about music distribution, sharing opinions about what drives virality. They reached a consensus that all music distribution channels play a role, from radio, visuals and social media.
David, Rael, Caesar, Uzezi, Fay Fay and Gideon all received a nod and walked through the ‘Yes’ door. A highlight of Saturday’s show featured the judges using their veto power to select a 14th contestant, Jesse Drumz, the visually impaired singer who had wowed everyone right from his audition days.
Sunday’s opening gala kicked off with a performance by the 14 contestants who performed the Y’ello star theme song, after which the hosts, Tobi Bakre and Hilda Baci officially welcomed everyone to the Y’ello Star Hub. Each of the judges also highlighted the opportunity to groom the next generation of Nigeria’s music stars, with Banky W saying “For me, it’s the education in the Berklee College of Music and the Henley Business School. The show is really about empowering the entirety of the artist experience, it’s called show business for a reason and MTN Y’ello Star is taking care of both sides.”
Each of the contestants performed a song of their choice and were scored. The highest for the night was nine and the lowest, three. David Willz who performed Ed Sheeran’s, ‘Beautiful People’ scored the lowest, while David Garland who performed ‘Uptown Girl’ by Bruno Mars impressed Omawumi enough to get a 9, as did FayFay who performed ‘Memories’ by Maroon 5. All the contestants will be looking to improve on their performances as they keep their eyes on the ultimate prize.
MTN Y’ello Star is one of the initiatives to support the economic recovery drive by investing in the nation’s youth. The music reality show airs every weekend on various stations across the country.
At the Africa CEO Forum, leaders from across the continent gathered to discuss the critical role of private sector-led growth in the development of African trade and market integration under the topic “Fast-tracking African Integration: The Private Sector Imperative”. The session, which was one of the highlights of the 2-day event in Abidjan, saw Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, join Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA, and Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO of Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), in a powerful conversation focused on the opportunities and challenges for Africa in the face of shifting global trade dynamics.
As part of its continued commitment to sustainability, Access Holdings PLC will be amongst the leading participants in the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Regional Roundtable on Sustainable Finance for Africa and Middle East. Taking place from May 6-7, 2025, in Marrakech, Morocco, the event will bring together regulators, policymakers, and key stakeholders from the financial sector to discuss and shape critical sustainability issues, including climate mitigation and adaptation, nature-positive finance, just transition and financial inclusion, carbon finance, among others.Amaechi Okobi, Chief Brand and Communications Officer of Access Holdings; Edmund Otaigbe, Group Head of Credit Administration, Governance & Project Monitoring, and Njideka Esomeju, Group Head of Products and Segments, will be contributing insights from their extensive experience in driving sustainability within the financial sector. Among the discussions will be sessions dedicated to accelerating the transition of real economy sectors towards sustainability, addressing climate risks, and ensuring financial inclusion. One of the focal points will be how financial institutions can support climate adaptation and resilience, particularly in vulnerable sectors across Africa and the Middle East. The event will further tackle the challenge of unlocking private finance for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), exploring innovative ways to align capital flows with regional sustainability needs.Other high-level dialogues will explore regional collaboration to support sustainability goals, advancing action on climate adaptation, and the regulatory developments promoting sustainable finance across the region. Panels will focus on topics such as financing and insuring MSMEs for climate resilience and fostering an inclusive transition by ensuring that vulnerable communities and underserved populations are not left behind in the push for green growth.Prominent speakers at the event include Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda; Louise Gardiner, Senior Operations Officer at the International Finance Corporation (IFC); Lily Burge, Policy Manager, Climate Bonds Initiative; Samuel Tiriongo, Director of Research and Policy, Kenya Bankers Association;Walid Ali, General Manager, Sustainability Department, Central Bank of Egypt; Yasser Mounsif, Director of Issuers, Moroccan Capital Market Authority, alongside other leaders in sustainable finance.
