Sanwo-Olu, Simbi, Ogunsanya, Others To Receive African Leadership Award

By John Ikani

African Leadership Magazine has unveiled winners in the 12 categories of the 2021 African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA).

The winners were unveiled by the Publisher of the Magazine, Dr Ken Giami, at the UK Head Office of the group after the editorial board reviewed the collated votes and supporting documents received to bolster the nominations.

While unveiling the list of winners, Giami, said the 2021 ABLA celebrates grit, purpose, and impact in Africa’s business environment, especially in what continues to be a difficult period for most people due to the impact of coronavirus.

Among the long list of distinguished winners are Nigerian leaders who exhibited celebrated attributes in admirable capacities.

They include Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who emerged as business friendly governor of the year.

Also, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Simbi Wabote, deservedly clinched African Local Content Icon Award.

Not to be left out, the CEO, Airtel Africa, Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya emerged as African Business Leader of the Year.

All winners and their runners-up shall be presented with an award trophy and formally decorated with the instruments of the honour at the 6th Invest in Africa Summit (Virtual), which is scheduled to hold on September 16 – 17, 2021, from 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm (GMT) daily, with the theme: Africa 4.0: Redefining Growth, Sustainability, and Innovation.

What you should know 

The African Leadership magazine is published by African Leadership (UK) Limited, a company registered in the United Kingdom. The magazine focuses on bringing Africa’s best to a global audience, telling the African story from an African perspective; while evolving solutions to peculiar challenges being faced by the continent today.

Since its maiden edition, African Leadership Magazine has grown to become a leading pan-African flagship leadership-focused publication read by over 1, 200, 000 targeted international investors, business executives, government policymakers, and multilateral agencies Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, Europe, and the U.S. It is distributed at major international and African Leadership events around the world. The magazine has over 1 000,000 subscribers/Followers on Facebook and a virile readership on other social media platforms. It is a niche and unbiased African voice born out of a desire to tell the African story from an African perspective by focusing on individuals and corporates known for their legacy-based approach to leadership.

The keenly contested awards attracted over 300, 000 entries on the website and across social media platforms, as well as submissions via email and physical posts from Africans across the continent and in Diaspora.

The Winners emerged through a keenly contested 3-step points-based selection process that included a call for nomination; a call for online voting for shortlisted nominees; and the editorial board’s final review of the nominations and voting submissions – using supporting evidence and voting considerations in their final decisions to decide the African Business Leadership Awards 2021 winners. The online voting was responsible for sixty-five percentage points and supporting evidence was responsible for 35% in the final selection process for the 2021 winners.

Below is the list of winners as unveiled by the group:

AFRICAN BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR

Segun Ogunsanya, CEO, Airtel Africa, Nigeria – Winner

Simphiwe Tshabalala, CEO, Standard Bank Group, South Africa – Runner up

AFRICAN FEMALE BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR

Patience Akyianu, Chief Executive Officer, Hollard Group in Ghana – Winner

Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch, CEO, Aksal Group, Morocco – Runner up

AFRICAN REGULATOR OF THE YEAR

Poppy Khoza, CEO of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) – Winner

Silver Mugisha, CEO Uganda Water and Sewerage Corporation – Runner Up

Brima Baluwa Koroma, Executive Chairman, Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Sierra Leone – Runner up

BUSINESS FRIENDLY GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor, Lagos State, Nigeria Winner

Alan Winde, Premier, Western Cape Province, South Africa Runner up

CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR

Harvesh Kumar Seegolam, Governor, Bank of Mauritius – Winner

Caroline Abel, Governor, Central Bank of Seychelles – Runner up

AFRICA TRADE AND INVESTMENT MINISTER OF THE YEAR

Nevin Jameh, Minister of Industry, Trade and Small Industries, Egypt – Winner

AmadouHott, Minister for the Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Senegal – Runner up

AFRICAN LOCAL CONTENT ICON AWARD

Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board

CENTRAL BANK OF THE YEAR

Bank of Ghana

AFRICAN CEO OF THE YEAR

Benedict Peters, CEO, Aiteo Group, Nigeria – Winner

Rebecca Mbithi, CEO, Family Bank, Kenya – Runner up

YOUNG BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR

Kwadwo Safo Junior, CEO, Kantanka Group Ghana – Winner

Uzair Essack, CEO, Riyp, South Africa – Runner up

AFRICAN CSR & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IMPACT AWARD

Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) – Winner

Equatorial Guinea LNG Holdings – Runner up

AFRICAN BRAND OF THE YEAR

Ethiopian Airlines – Winner

Eat’n’Go Africa – Runner up

AFRICAN COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Kiira Motors Corporation Uganda Winner

Vodafone Ghana Runner up

INDUSTRY PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Kwame Osei-Prempeh, Group CEO, Ghana Oil Company Limited – Winner

Sabah M. Mashaly, Managing Director, Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), Egypt – Runner up.