Twenty-five African women are among the contestants at the 73rd Miss World, currently underway in Vietnam and building toward the grand final in Nha Trang on September 5, 2026. Since the festival opened on August 9, the delegates have gone through the Sash Ceremony in Haiphong, the Top Model challenge at Dragon Beach Square, a Sports Challenge and other early rounds as they compete for one of the 40 spots in the main tournament. The group includes students, entrepreneurs, medical professionals and advocates, each representing a different corner of the continent.

Botswana — Ruth Thomas

Photo: Missosology King

Ruth, 24, works as a Beauty Advisor in Masunga. Her focus is helping young people build self-confidence and self-expression.

Cameroon — Raissa Noura Njikam

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Raissa, 26, was born and raised in Yaoundé. She founded and leads the NOUNJI Foundation, which supports women and young people affected by violence.

Côte d’ivoiee — Fatima Koné

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Fatima, 23, is from Bouaké. She balances school and modelling with youth advocacy, and is currently developing a business incubator to mentor early-stage entrepreneurs.

Equatorial Guinea — María de los Ángeles Ndong

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María, 25, is from Malabo. Her advocacy centres on expanding access to education and building sustainable community outreach programmes.

Eritrea — Snit Habteab Tewoldemedhin

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Snit, 26, is a Montessori educator, parent mentor and founder of Designing for Diversity, a nonprofit focused on creating inclusive learning opportunities for children of all abilities. She has a background in neuroscience and also creates Montessori learning resources and manages nonprofit programmes.

Ethiopia — Ruth Yirgalem Weldesilassie

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Ruth is a Culture Ambassador of Ethiopia, marketer, coffee Q grader, makeup artist and founder of Crown of TAYTU. She holds a degree in Marketing Management and is passionate about celebrating Ethiopian culture while empowering women and young people through education, entrepreneurship and service.

Ghana — Rumzia Sule

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Rumzia, 22, is a flight attendant, communications professional and MBA student. With a background in public relations and diplomatic administration, she uses her Project Inspire Ghana initiative to mentor young people and encourage entrepreneurship.

Guinea — Saran Keita

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Saran, 26, is a cultural and event entrepreneur with a degree in International Relations. She is dedicated to promoting Guinean culture and creating opportunities for her community, while also pursuing humanitarian work and hoping to advocate for women in the future.

Guinea-Bissau — Hernânia Nantote

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Hernânia, 26, brings Guinea-Bissau back to the Miss World stage after an absence. Her work centres on youth literacy and community development.

Kenya — Trizah Muhenje Akala

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Trizah studied Tourism Management and works in travel marketing and event management, using the platform to promote East African hospitality, eco-tourism and cultural heritage.

Malawi — Ireen Navicha

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Ireen is a student, model and community advocate. Her advocacy focuses on youth empowerment, particularly expanding access to secondary education and leadership training.

Morocco — Chirihan Chergui

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Chirihan is a technology entrepreneur with a Master’s degree in Software Engineering. She is passionate about innovation, culture and social impact, and hopes to use technology and entrepreneurship to create opportunities for young people, especially girls.

Mozambique — Arcénia Quehá

Photo: Instagram/@Arcéniaquehá

Arcénia works with regional initiatives focused on sustainable local development, youth engagement and environmental awareness.

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Elly is studying Software Development, with plans to continue into honours and a master’s degree in Data Analytics. She dreams of becoming a remote software engineer and creating technology solutions that have a positive impact.

Nigeria — Tamunosoye “Soye” Karibi-George

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Soye, 26, is from Port Harcourt and works as a communications strategist, voice-over artist and model. She’s an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and leads the Beyond Labels initiative, which pushes for inclusion and better resources for neurodivergent children and children with special needs.

Senegal — Fatoumata Diop

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Fatoumata works as a marketing strategist, writer and storyteller. Her advocacy centres on mental health, pushing for accessible support systems for young people across West Africa.

Sierra Leone — Maryam Lorba Konneh

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Maryam’s platform focuses on expanding vocational training and skill-acquisition programmes for young women.

Somalia — Foziya Abdullahi Garad

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Foziya is an aspiring pilot and university student. She hopes to inspire young women across the Horn of Africa to consider careers outside the traditional path.

South Africa — Romanda Hombir

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Romanda, 27, is a professional audiologist who speaks English, Siswati, IsiZulu, Afrikaans and South African Sign Language. Through her Caring Purpose Foundation, she works to expand healthcare access and resources for people with hearing loss.

South Sudan — Nyandeng Kerubino Kuanyin Bol

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Nyandeng holds a degree in International Relations and Communication Studies and works in medical sales. Her advocacy is built around health communication and social policy reform.

Tanzania — Latricia Ian Sawe

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Latricia is studying Banking and Finance while working in brand representation. Her social impact project focuses on autism awareness and building supportive learning environments for children with special needs.

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Trivia has a background in aviation and runs her own cosmetics brand. She uses her business network to support vulnerable children and campaign against gender-based violence.

Zambia — Dr Adah Mushibi

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Dr Adah is a medical doctor volunteering at the University Teaching Hospital, and also works as a Chinese-language interpreter. She hopes to become a surgeon and advocates for disability-inclusive healthcare.

Zimbabwe — Brunette Makanyiso

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Brunette’s platform is centred on grassroots community development, with an emphasis on youth employment and vocational skills training.

Mauritius — Shreeya Bokhoree

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Shreeya is a Project Lead and Marketing Executive at the Chartreuse Group of Companies. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Advertising, PR, and Branding and works in promoting innovation in the agricultural sector. She hopes to help revolutionise the Mauritian tea industry by showcasing its heritage and quality.

Teminikan went blonde for her birthday, and the new hair became the starting point for a birthday shoot. She swapped her usual dark hairstyles for a platinum faux-bob, giving the pictures a vintage touch with the rest of the look built around tailored pieces and a few simple accessories.

Photo: Edos Artistry

Her hair, the highlight of her look, was made into a platinum blonde, short faux-bob sculpted into a full vintage flip with sweeping side bangs, styled by Hair by Aneesha. Her accessory from Neefamo was a silver flower cocktail ring adorned with white stones. She wore black pointed-toe heels with a little gold colour detailing at the front. Her images were photographed by Edos Artistry and styled by Styling by Azeez.

Photo: Edos Artistry

Her outfit was a rust-orange pinstripe pantsuit designed by Nigerian fashion brand Oseyi Adams, featuring a sharp, double-breasted jacket with peak lapels and padded shoulders. It included large flap pockets on the hips and matching fabric-covered buttons. She paired it with high-waisted, flared dress pants tailored with a clean front crease that created a lengthened appearance.

The warm rust-orange shade of the suit worked well with her blonde hair, while her makeup stayed in neutral tones with a soft lip. The silver ring and black heels brought small touches of contrast to the outfit, keeping the styling centred on the suit and hair.

Photo: Edos Artistry

The birthday post also came with a personal note from Teminikan. In her caption, she wrote, “This year, I am doing it softer, sweeter and surrounded by peace.” She ended the message with a simple birthday wish to herself.

Her birthday style last year was different. She wore a gold gown for the celebration. This year, the tailored suit and blonde faux-bob brought a more distinctive edge to her birthday styling.

Yvonne Godswill’s latest post had her in a black mini dress, but the cut is what grabs you. She wore a black fitted dress from Zara. It had a geometric halter neckline that curved up into a high-neck band leaving a wide, rectangular cutout across the chest.

Her accessories included a small Lady Dior bag in cloud grey, featuring the Cannage quilting, with metallic D.I.O.R. charms hanging off the handle. For shoes, she wore crisp white pointed-toe stiletto pumps, adding a clean contrast to all that black. Her hair was parted down the middle in long dark waves.

Photo:Instagram/@Yvonnegodswill

Black dresses keep showing up in wardrobes year after year, and it’s easy to see why. You could dress it up or dress it down, and it still holds together. Casual, formal, doesn’t matter much either way without needing much adjustment, which is probably why it never really goes away like other trends do.

Get the fit right first. Too big or too tight throws everything off, so pick something that follows your shape but gives room for easy movement. A single strong accessory usually says more than a handful of small ones, a bag or sharp heels can carry that on their own. Hair and makeup can stay low-key too, this look doesn’t need a heavy smoky eye or an elaborate updo. A bit of texture helps too, a quilted bag or pointed heel adds enough without pulling the whole look apart.

Photo:Instagram/@Yvonnegodswill

Yvonne’s outfit here was simpler than her other looks this year, and it still worked. You don’t need much print or a strange cut to get people to notice what you’re wearing. sometimes plain black is enough.