Gloria Babarinde: Bringing Professionalism, Purpose and Presence to the Art of Event Hosting

Nominee: Gloria Babarinde
Category: Event Host (MC) of the Year
Country: Nigeria
Edition: West African Citizens Awards 2026

An exceptional event host does more than introduce speakers, announce programme segments or keep an audience entertained. The role requires preparation, communication, composure, audience awareness and the ability to guide an event while preserving its purpose. For Gloria Babarinde, these responsibilities have become central to a professional career built around broadcasting, communication and event hosting.

Popularly known as The Gloria Babs and The Quintessential Host, Gloria Babarinde is a Nigerian broadcaster, professional events compere, corporate communications executive, public speaker, diction coach and media entrepreneur. Her professional journey reflects the value of communication as both a creative skill and an instrument for bringing people, ideas and institutions together.

From Broadcasting to the Event Stage

Gloria’s journey into the media industry began in radio in 2014. According to her professional biography, she started as a show and news assistant at Radio Continental, now Max FM, contributing to research, production and content development for The Continental Breakfast Show.

During her National Youth Service year, she also volunteered as a radio broadcaster, co-hosting Spell and Sound Game Show on Premier FM 93.5 and presenting Campus Groove, a programme focused on students and youth empowerment.

Her broadcasting experience continued with Africa Tech Radio, where she hosted Gloria’s Grid between 2020 and 2022. These early professional experiences placed her in environments where clear expression, preparation, timing and the ability to communicate with different audiences were essential.

A graduate of English Language from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Gloria’s academic background complements her work in broadcasting, public speaking and professional communication. Her transition into event hosting was therefore an extension of skills developed through language, media production and audience engagement.

Hosting Beyond the Microphone

Gloria’s event-hosting portfolio demonstrates an ability to work across different professional environments. Her engagements include corporate gatherings, conferences, award ceremonies, financial-sector events, technology summits, institutional programmes and social celebrations.

Among the events documented in her portfolio are the Union Bank International Women’s Day Celebration, Access Bank Womenpreneur Pitchathon Season 6, the Nigerian Stock Exchange Mobilist Public Discourse, the Nigeria Customer Service Index Media Parley, and the Financial Market Dealers Association’s annual conference and retreat.

Her work also includes hosting the Nigeria Energy Technical Seminar, the Innovate AI Nigeria Conference, the Lagos Finance Conference, the FinTribe Finance Fair, and the Union Bank Employees Recognition Awards.

These engagements illustrate the range of settings in which an event compere must operate. A financial-sector conference, for example, requires a different approach from a high-energy public celebration. The host must understand the character of the gathering, respect its protocol, support speakers and maintain the programme’s direction.

Her portfolio also records international engagements, including Sentch Africa Tech Week in Cape Town, a Rwanda Mentorship Programme and the Pan-African Youth Leadership Award Ceremony in Ghana.

In October 2026, Gloria was listed as the main host for TeXcellence 5.0, a technology conference held in Lagos. The published agenda identifies her as the host of the opening programme and closing segment. She also moderated a session at Sony Music West Africa’s Bloom & Bloom 2026 summit in Lagos, an engagement documented by Sony Music itself.

The Communicator Behind the Compere

Gloria’s professional identity extends beyond the event stage. Her experience in broadcasting and corporate communication has informed her work as an interviewer, moderator and public speaker.

Her professional biography documents interviews and conversations with personalities from business, politics, entertainment and social development. These include business leader Atedo Peterside, media professional Stephanie Busari, entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo, filmmaker Tunde Kelani and other notable figures.

This experience is relevant to her work as an event host. Moderating a conversation requires more than speaking confidently: it involves listening, asking purposeful questions, managing time and helping different voices contribute meaningfully.

Gloria also offers communication and public-speaking training through Sounding Right With Doc Glo, where she works with professionals, speakers and executives on vocal clarity, public speaking and corporate communication.

Her work through Lait Media, which she founded, further reflects her interest in the media profession. The organisation focuses on media talent recruitment, structuring media teams and training in communication skills and professionalism.

Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation

An important dimension of Gloria’s work is her interest in developing other communicators and emerging voices.

In May 2024, she organised a free virtual programme titled Event Hosting 101, designed to introduce aspiring event hosts and presenters to the profession. Her website reports that the programme attracted more than 350 participants.

She also established the Gloria Babarinde Public Speaking Prize, an initiative designed to encourage confident expression and recognise public-speaking talent among young people. The inaugural competition, held on November 12, 2025, brought together more than 32 secondary schools, with 13-year-old Eguakhide Cassey emerging as the grand-prize winner.

Through these initiatives, her contribution reaches beyond personal professional engagements. They represent an effort to make communication skills more accessible and to encourage young people to develop confidence in expressing their ideas.

Her professional journey has also attracted recognition. Her biography records her receipt of the Nigeria 25 Under 25 Award for Media and Communications in 2021, inclusion among Glocal Unity’s 100 Most Inspiring Women in Africa in 2024, and other professional honours.

A Nomination That Recognises the Work Behind the Stage

Event hosting is often most visible when the audience is enjoying a programme, but much of the work happens before the first guest arrives. Preparation, research, coordination, an understanding of protocol and the ability to respond to unexpected developments all contribute to the experience.

Gloria Babarinde’s documented work across corporate, institutional, cultural and international platforms reflects the breadth of responsibilities associated with professional event hosting. Her broadcasting background, communication initiatives and experience guiding conversations add further dimensions to her work as a compere.

Her nomination for Event Host (MC) of the Year at the West African Citizens Awards 2026, representing Nigeria, recognises this body of work and her contribution to the professional communication and events landscape.

At WAFRIC Awards, the 2026 edition celebrates creativity, dedication and meaningful contributions across West Africa. Gloria’s journey is a reminder that the person holding the microphone can do much more than command a room: they can give structure to an occasion, create space for important conversations and help an event fulfil its purpose.

Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.

Support Gloria Babarinde

Gloria Babarinde is nominated for Event Host (MC) of the Year, representing Nigeria, at the West African Citizens Awards 2026.

🗳️ Cast your vote: Visit the official WAFRIC Awards public voting page and locate her category.

📋 Read the voting procedures and criteria: WAFRIC Awards 2026 Voting Procedures.

Voting closes on November 15, 2026. Public voting forms part of the process but is not the sole determinant of the final winners; the published criteria and final assessment also apply.