… Voting opens across the continent to decide winners
November 22, 2018
Portsmouth, United Kingdom, November 22, 2019: Serial entrepreneur and founder of Mara Phone, Ashish Thakkar, has been nominated for the 8th African Leadership Persons of the Year Award. Mr. Thakkar, who recently launched Mara Phone, Africa’s first indigenous mobile phone company, has been nominated in the Employment generation category, for his commitment to job creation, through his companies, as well as his role as the Chair of the Presidential Youth Advisory Group, put together by the President of African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. The Advisory Group was set up with the mandate of creating 25 Million Jobs in 10 years and to benefit 50 million youths.
Mr. Thakkar is contending for the coveted award with other leading Africans – Hillie Meyer, Group Chief Executive Officer, Momentum Metropolitan Holding Ltd, South Africa; Abdulsalmad Rabiu, Chief Executive Officer, BUA Group, Nigeria; and Amy Jadesimi, Managing Director, LADOL, Nigeria.
The Publisher, Dr. Ken Giami, while unveiling the nominees at the group’s corporate head office in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, noted that the ALM Persons of the Year Award has continued to attract global attention and nominations from across Africa, as well as the African Diaspora, galvanizing conversations about Africa Now and the continent’s future.
Dr. Giami, commended the nominees, adding that, “they are all winners already, because, they have been selected by Africans out of the over 1.2 Billion people on the continent, as those deserving of this exclusive recognition.”
The shortlist was preceded by a call for nomination and the eventual winners would be decided via a voting process. Below are the distinguished Africans who made the shortlist of nominees in different categories, and all Africans are welcomed to vote:
African of the Year 2019
This recognition is open to an African whose actions have greatly impacted the continent positively in the year under review and helped shape his or her immediate society and continues to inspire globally.
- Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank
- Mo Ibrahim, Mo Ibrahim Foundation
- His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
African Female Leader of the Year 2019
This recognition is open to an African woman who has defied the odds, risen above the patriarchal systems in the continent to positively affect the continent or influence women to aspire for excellence in various fields.
- Gifty Lamptey, Managing Director, SIDALCO Group of Companies, Ghana
- Rawyer Mansour, Founder RAMSCO Trade & Distribution, Egypt
- Helen Oritsejafor, MD/CEO, Eagle Heights Group, Nigeria
ALM Person of the Year 2019 – Educational Development
This recognition is open to an African, whose contribution to the growth of education and deepening knowledge has been second to none in the year under review. It is also reserved for a member of the academic whose research or policy has contributed to shaping his or her country’s economic growth and development
- Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, Nigeria
- Yusuf Karodia, Founder of MANCOSA, Regent Business School, Southern Africa (Also one of the founders of Honoris Group)
- Afe Babalola, Founder Afe Bablola University Nigeria
ALM Person of the Year 2019 – Employment Generation
This recognition is open to an African, whose actions, policies and business has helped in creating jobs for Africans in the year under review
- Ashish Thakkar, Mara Phones
- Hillie Meyer, Group Chief Executive Officer, Momentum Metropolitan Holding Ltd, South Africa
- Abdulsalmad Rabiu, Chief Executive Officer, BUA Group, Nigeria
- Amy Jadesimi, Managing Director, LADOL, Nigeria
ALM Person of the Year 2019 – Political Leadership
This recognition is open to an African, whose contribution has immensely contributed to deepening democracy and democratic values in the continent.
- H.E Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana
- H.E Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
- H.E Abdelfattah Elsisi, President of Egypt
- H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia
ALM Person of the Year 2019 – Philanthropy & Charitable Contributions to Society
This recognition is open to an African, who has given more to support a charitable cause, social justice and promote social good.
- Denis Mukwege, founder, Panzi Hospital, specializes in treating women who have been raped by Rebels in Congo
- Femi Otedola, Philanthropist
- Emeka Offor, Chrome Group
- Patrice Motsepe, Motesepe Foundation, South Africa
ALM Young Person of the Year 2019
Criteria: Must be between the ages of 18-38; Young persons of African descent, making a difference globally via diverse sectors such as business, IT, entertainment, sports, etc, remaining a positive role model and re-defining creativity, resilience; hard work and ingenuity of the continent’s young people
- Wizkid, Music Artist, Nigeria
- Kevin Okyere, Springfield Group, Ghana
- Isaya Yunge, Founder, SomaApps Technologies Ltd, Tanzania
You are therefore invited to vote for Africans in different categories for this prestigious award. Voting closes on the 10th December 2019 at midnight Central African Time.
About the Persons of the Year Award:
The African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award is a vote-based awards program, reserved for African business, political, diplomatic, Sports and Entertainment leaders, who are considered to have blazed the trail in different categories in the year under review. The awards enjoy one of the most participatory processes, as Africans get to decide who takes the coveted crown in different categories. Winners are presented with the award in a colorful ceremony held annually in Johannesburg, South Africa.
About African Leadership Magazine:
The African Leadership magazine is published by African Leadership (UK) Limited, a company registered in the United Kingdom (Company No. 07435198). The magazine focuses on bringing the best of Africa 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 targeted international investors, business executives, government policymakers, and multilateral agencies across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Europe, and the US. It is distributed at major international and African Leadership events around the world. The magazine has over 900,000 subscribers/Followers on Facebook and a virile readership on other social media platforms. It is a niche and unbiased African voice, telling African stories from African lenses.
More information, please visit www.africanleadershipmagazine.co.uk or send an email to editor@africanleadership.co.uk
