Golden Penny Semovita has been named Brand of the Year at the 2026 Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) Marketing Awards, giving Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) four honours at this year’s ceremony.
The food brand received the top award at the 2026 Annual Brands and Marketing Conference and Awards held on Friday, November 6, at the Luxury Event Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Brandspur Brand News, the recognition was part of a strong showing by Flour Mills of Nigeria, which also secured awards for its marketing and media leadership, as well as another product in its Golden Penny portfolio.
Ilyas Kazeem was named Marketing Director of the Year in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category, while Omoefe Owhorakpo received the Media Manager of the Year award. Golden Penny Pasta also emerged Pasta Brand of the Year.
BJAN said its selection of Golden Penny Semovita followed an evaluation process that considered product and service quality, innovation, brand development, market leadership and the brand’s relationship with consumers.
The awards recognise the company’s efforts in developing its consumer brands and maintaining their presence in Nigeria’s competitive food market. For consumers, the recognition also draws attention to the importance of product consistency and customer confidence in a market where food brands compete for household spending.
The ceremony brought together marketing professionals, business executives, brand managers and other stakeholders to recognise achievements in brand building and marketing communications.
Discussions at the conference also examined how artificial intelligence is changing the advertising industry, particularly the work traditionally handled by creative agencies.
Themed “Advertising in Nigeria & AI: Who Needs Creative Agencies?”, the conference featured Lolu Akinwunmi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Prima Garnet Africa, as its keynote speaker.
Akinwunmi, who has more than four decades of experience in advertising, urged agencies and marketing professionals to rethink their approaches as AI-powered tools become increasingly capable of handling tasks such as consumer research, copywriting, creative development and strategic analysis.
He emphasised the need for professionals to offer more than services that can be replicated by technology, pointing to strategic thinking, a deeper understanding of consumers, sound professional judgement and measurable business results as important areas of value.
The conversation highlighted the growing pressure on advertising and marketing businesses to adapt to technological changes while maintaining the creative and strategic expertise needed to build successful brands.
For Flour Mills of Nigeria, the four awards place its Golden Penny products and marketing team among the recognised winners at the 2026 BJAN event.
