Global Courant
At a gala dinner attended by leading dignitaries, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, hosted the inaugural Pan-African Business and Development Awards in partnership with the Business Council for Africa, in Accra, Ghana.
The Pan-African Business and Development Awards are designed to celebrate and recognize the excellence of outstanding organizations and individuals within the African business and finance sector.
The evening recognized some of the leaders in African business, and Aliko Dangote (GCON) won the Afreximbank Founder of the Year in recognition of his extraordinary achievements in building one of Africa’s leading industrial groups with a truly pan-African footprint. This comes on the heels of the recent official opening of its $19 billion petrochemical plant and Africa’s largest refinery, which received substantial backing from Afreximbank.
Two other industry luminaries, Zimbabwean Strive Masiyiwa and Togolese Koffi Gervais Djondo, were also recognized for their outstanding contributions to African business and industry. Masiyiwa is the founder of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, which has the largest fiber optic cable network on the continent, Cassava Technologies, and Econet, the largest telecom and mobile payment operator in Zimbabwe. Djondo helped found Ecobank, the leading African group in terms of footprint, as well as regional airline Asky.
The Pan-African Business of the Year went to Ethiopian Airlines, which has enjoyed phenomenal success and showcases the best of Africa: a profitable and well-run airline that rose to the challenge of Covid and partnered with Afreximbank and the Africa CDC to deliver critical medical equipment and vaccines across the continent.
Telecom operator MTN and Egyptian company ElSewedy also received special recognition in this category. MTN was recognized for transforming the African telecom sector and ElSewedy for its role in the African infrastructure sector. ElSewedy and Afreximbank have built a strong relationship that has made the group a true continental champion and part of a consortium of African banks and private sector companies building the multi-billion dollar Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project in Tanzania.
Three banks were recognized in the Financial Institutions of the Year category. National Bank of Egypt, First Bank of Nigeria and Coris Bank, a major regional player in West Africa that started in Burkina Faso, were chosen based on their size of trade finance facilities they have used.
Eight recognition awards were also presented to some of Afreximbank’s employees in recognition of their long service with the bank, including Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board, who has been with the bank for more than 29 years.
Commenting on the awards ceremony, he said: “Tonight we recognize so many outstanding leaders. Since I joined the Bank in 1994, I have been fortunate to have worked with so many of them and watched them grow. We supported them on this journey and they helped make the bank what it is today. These are the mutually beneficial partnerships that will help transform the continent we love so much. At Afreximbank, contributing to the development of Africa is a lifelong calling, as I know for all those we have recognized tonight.”
In recognizing these leaders and institutions, Arnold Ekpe, Chairman of the BCA and former Group CEO of Ecobank, said: “Too often our corporate leaders don’t get the credit they deserve. Doing business successfully on the continent is not always easy, but it is rewarding and more importantly, it is possible to build strong, profitable businesses that are globally competitive. Our winners tonight have proven that.”
The Awards were launched by Afreximbank in partnership with the BCA, and this year’s Awards were organized in partnership with IC Publications and Brand Communications. They were launched to recognize those organizations and leaders who embody the Pan-African spirit by taking the lead in building substantial and transformational cross-border businesses.
WINNERS
Pan African Company of the Year
Winner: Ethiopian Airlines
Special Recognition:
ElSewedy Electricals
MTN group
Afreximbank founder of the year
Winner: Aliko Dangote (GCON), Chairman and CEO, Dangote Group
Special Recognition:
Koffi Gervais Djondo, Founder, Ecobank, Founder, Asky Airlines
Strive Masiyiwa, Founder Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Founder, Econet Global and Econet Media, Founder, Cassava Technologies
Financial Institutions of the Year
National Bank of Egypt
Nigeria’s first bank
Coris Bank
Business titans recognized by Afreximbank
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