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African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year 2017 Winners
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The African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards committee has unveiled the winners for different categories in the just concluded polls for the African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards 2017.
The winners who shall be decorated on the 24th February 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa, were unveiled by the Publisher of the Magazine Dr. Ken Giami, at the UK Head Office of the group, after the awards committee working with the editorial team concluded the collation of both online and offline votes and submissions from the over 1 million subscribers /followership base of the publication. The winners are: African of the Year 2017: H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda – Winner African Female Leader of the Year 2017: 1. Bethlehem Tilahum Alemu, Founder soleRebels, Ethiopia – Co-Winner ALM Person of the Year 2017-Educational Development Strive Masayiwa, Founder Econet, Zimbabwe – Winner ALM Person of the Year 2017 – Employment Generation Kwame Nana Bediako, President, Founder & CEO, Petronia Ghana – Winner ALM Person of the Year 2017 – Political Leadership Marc Ravalomanana, Former President of Madagascar – Winner ALM Person of the Year 2017 – Philanthropy & Charitable Contributions to Society Manu Chandaria, Chairman, Comcraft Group, Kenya – Winner ALM Young Person of the Year 2017 Joel Macharia, Founder / CEO, Abacus Kenya- Winner It was a record year for African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year awards as total online votes cast by Africans from all around the world jumped to 288,958 from 85,000 the previous year, and offline submissions by over 400%. In addition to the winners, a special Commendation citation shall be presented to the most distinguished runners up, which includes Linah Mohohlo, Governor, Bank of Botswana; Fred Swaniker, Founder, African Leadership Academy, South Africa & African Leadership University, Mauritius; and Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings Nigeria. The Publisher of the Magazine, Ken Giami, reiterated the group’s position, that all nominees in the various categories are all winners, given their individual contributions to the continent’s growth and development. In his words, “to be chosen out of the over 1.2 billion people on the continent, speaks volumes.” He further stated that,” the nominees have elevated and redefined benchmarks of service to the humanity on the continent. They are all true lovers of Africa, contributing passionately, sometimes imperfectly, but all determined to impacting society, making Africa a better place for its people. ” The African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year which is in its 6th run, is an annual award reserved for distinguished Africans, who are considered to have blazed the trail in the year under review. A shortlist of nominees are selected from results gathered via a Call for nomination – traditionally promoted via a paid online and offline campaigns across the continent, Europe, and the Americas. The call for nomination is the first step in a multi-phased process. Remarkably, this year, the selection committee considered, among others, three key themes – Africans whose activities, policies and actions have contributed to ‘creating jobs & wealth creation; promotion, defense and delivering of democratic values; & the promotion of Africa’s image globally’; in arriving at their decisions. With Africa’s population tipped to double by the year 2050, and unemployment at the center of the problems confronting the continent, jobs and wealth creators deserve to be especially encouraged and supported. Past recipients of the prestigious African Person of the Year Awards have included Dr. Mo Ibrahim, founder, Ibrahim Prize for Leadership, 2010; Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 2011; H.E. Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria 2012; Xavier Luc-Duval, Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius & Minister of Finance (2013) H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania, 2014; His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria, 2015; Mr. Mo Dewji, CEO, MeTL, Tanzania, 2016. |
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
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