The Apprentice Africa will follow the popular American TV format which has been a huge success around the world. The Apprentice Africa is an original format of Mark Burnett Productions, creators of other major reality series such as Survivor and The Contender. The Apprentice is described as the ultimate, sixteen week job interview, where contestants will compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include major companies and require street smarts and intelligence to conquer, in order to show the CEO that they are the best candidate for the job.

The Apprentice Africa will gather 18 contestants from across Africa and the diaspora who will compete for a lucrative corporate job with befitting perks and an annual salary of US$200,000 and a luxury car.

Instead of impressing Donald Trump the contestants will be impressing Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, Chairman Troyka group and co-founder of Nigeria’s largest and unarguably, most successful advertising agency, Insight Grey.

By accepting to be CEO of The Apprentice Africa, Biodun Shobanjo joins a long line of distinguished corporate titans and business moguls like Donald Trump, United Kingdom’s Allan Sugar and South African’s Tokyo Sexwale amongst others whose presence, charisma, business savvy and panache have been integral to the success of the franchise.

Biodun Shobanjo attributes his success to his a fierce determination and a steely can-do attitude. “I was young when I left Grant advertising and young people are very daring, so it didn’t cross my mind that I wouldn’t make it. Again, without meaning to be immodest, I really have never failed in my life. If you’re not used to failing you don’t even contemplate failure.”

The ever dapper and sartorially elegant man of style says there are four essential elements for success and he lists them as “Professionalism. The other is honour. The third is integrity. The fourth is passion. They come in any order but if you have these four things, chances are that you’re going to succeed.”

Today, the top 10 CEOs of the top 10 advertising and marketing communications outfits in Nigeria are proud alumni of what admirers love to refer to as the “Insight University.”
Biodun Shobanjo brings to the Apprentice Africa almost forty years of top-notch corporate experience, entrepreneurial savvy, multi-disciplinary industry experience and a business maxim founded squarely on the belief that success is not negotiable.
As he loves to say: “Winning is not everything. It is the only thing!”

Well alright!  I love me a smart man and fella’s you better love smart women if you know whats good for you.   

I look forward to tuning in and seeing all these great African minds at work!

Apply for the show here.