Sarah Hassan wins Entertainer of the Year at Forbes Woman Awards 2025

Renowned actress Sarah Hassan has been awarded the Entertainer of the Year Award at the Forbes Woman Awards 2025. The FORBES WOMAN AFRICA summit kicked off on March 5 in Times Square, Pretoria, South Africa.

Since its establishment, the Leading Women Summit has honoured International Women's Day on March 8 as an annual celebration commemorating the achievements and resilience of women across Africa and the world.

Being its 10th edition, the Forbes Woman Africa celebrated and showcased the best of the best in different categories. It attracts top-tier, A-list speakers from global billionaires to Hollywood celebrities, Olympian sports stars, corporate moguls and Grammy-winning artists.

The producer and director jetted out of Kenya and did not disappoint. With her incredible skillset and talent, she bagged the accolade representing Kenya on the top. Donned in a shiny purple gown, she received the pristine award and expressed her gratitude towards the Forbes Woman Africa Summit. She shared that being mentioned on Forbes 30 under 50 was amazing, but winning the award was mind-blowing.

“Oh my goodness, this is just surreal. It’s such an honour to be here and to be recognised in a room full of incredible and powerful trailblazers. When I started this journey as an actress and TV host and later got into film production, all I had was hope and passion. I never imagined the stories I would tell and the amazing people I would meet on the way. Being named Forbes 30 under 50 was a defining moment, but winning was beyond my imagination,” Sarah Hassan said.

Sarah Hassan is a multi-award-winning actress who started acting at the tender age of 5 years. She rose to fame when she played “Tanya” in the long-running high school drama, “Tahidi High.” Due to her popular girl persona on Tahidi High, she won an award for Best Actress at the CHAT Awards twice in 2010 and 2011.

She has a talent for TV hosting and has bagged several accolades because of this skill. Some of these awards include Best TV Host (Discovery+ 254) at the Kalasha Awards 2014 and Best East African Journalist 2015 at the Swahili Fashion Week in Dar es Salaam (Mashariki Mix and Maisha Max).

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In her acting and film career, she has received her flowers too. These accolades include; Best Actress at Kalasha Awards 2019 for the film ‘Plan B’, Best Film at the AMVCA Awards in Nigeria 2019 for ‘Plan B’, Best Film at the Kalasha Awards 2020 for ‘40 Sticks’, Best Actress at Kalasha 2021 for ‘Just in Time’ and Best Actress at Kalasha 2021 for series ‘Crime and Justice.’

Sarah Hassan is also the founder of Alfajiri Productions and has a degree in Actuarial Science. In January 2016, she pursued a course in Film Industry in Los Angeles, California, for two and a half years.

She is so talented that while in Los Angeles, she wrote, produced, acted and co-directed a short film dubbed, 'The Company You Keep.' She served as lead producer for the Kenyan thriller, ‘Forty Sticks’ and comedy-drama ‘Just in Time’ which were premiered on Netflix. Her countless impacts have made a name for her in the entertainment industry worldwide.

Sarah Hassan thanked her family and management for the support they gave throughout her journey. She dedicated the award to dreamers and women aspiring to be successful in their careers and businesses.

“This award is not just for me but rather for all the dreamers who dare to push beyond the limit, African storyteller who refuses to be boxed in and real women who are forging their path. There are still more stories to tell and to all the young women, your voice still matters. Keep creating and never stop until you see the power of your own story. I want to thank my family and management for all the sleepless nights and support,” the award-winner said.