Afreximbank honours Masiyiwa, others at maiden Pan-African Business Awards

Zimbabwe businessman and founder of Econet, Strive Masiyiwa, is one of business leaders honoured at the inaugural Pan-African Business and Development Awards held on Monday night at the ongoing 30th Afreximbank annual meetings in Accra, Ghana.

The awards were instituted by the Bank in association with the Business Council for Africa, to recognise those organisations and leaders that epitomise the Pan-African spirit by leading the way in building substantive and transformational cross border businesses within the African business and finance sectors.

Masiyiwa, alongside Togolese businessman, Koffi Gervais Djondo, received Special Recognition awards for their outstanding contribution to the transformation of African business and industry sphere.

According to the organisers, Masiyiwa was recognised for founding Liquid Intelligent Technologies, which has the largest network of fibre optic cables on the continent, and Cassava Technologies as well as Econet, the largest telecoms and mobile payment operator in Zimbabwe.

Djondo helped found Ecobank, the leading African group in terms of footprint, as well as regional airline Asky.

Nigeria’s business mogul, Aliko Dangote, 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 back of the recent official opening of his US$19 billion petrochemicals plant and Africa’s largest refinery, where Afreximbank is the biggest financier.

The Pan-African Business of the year went to Ethiopian Airlines, which has had phenomenal success and showcases the best of Africa: a profitable and well run airline that rose up to the challenge of Covid-19, working alongside Afreximbank and the Africa CDC to distribute critical medical equipment and vaccines across the continent.

Telecoms operator, MTN and Egyptian business ElSewedy, were also given Special Recognition in this category. MTN was recognised for transforming the African telecoms sector and ElSewedy for its role in the African infrastructure sector.

ElSewedy and Afreximbank have built a strong relationship that has seen its group become a true continental champion and part of a consortium of African banks and private sector companies that are building the multi-billion dollar Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project in Tanzania.

Three banks were recognised in the Financial Institutions of the Year category. National Bank of Egypt, First Bank of Nigeria and Coris Bank, an important regional player in West Africa that started off in Burkina Faso – were chosen based on their volume of trade finance facilities they have utilised.

Eight recognition awards were also handed to some staff members of Afreximbank to acknowledge their long service at the Bank, including Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board, who has been at the Bank for over 29 years.

Commenting on the Awards ceremony, Oramah said: “Tonight we are recognising so many outstanding leaders. Having joined the Bank in 1994, I have been fortunate to have worked with so many of them, and to have seen them grow. We have supported them during this journey and they have helped make the Bank what it is today. These are the mutually beneficial partnerships that will help transform the continent we so love. At Afreximbank, contributing to Africa’s development is a lifetime vocation, as I know it is for all those that we have recognised tonight.”

In recognising these leaders and institutions, Arnold Ekpe, chair of the BCA and former Group CEO of Ecobank, said: “Too often our business leaders do not get the praise they deserve. Succeeding in business 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 demonstrated this.”

The Awards were launched by Afreximbank in association with the BCA, and this year’s Awards were organised in collaboration with IC Publications and Brand Communications.

They were launched to recognise those organisations and leaders that epitomise the Pan-African spirit by leading the way in building substantive and transformational cross border businesses.-ebusinessweekly