Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards announced

2 Jul 2006

LONDON: "It is time for a new African story to be told, one that takes account of the many successes on the continent and embraces the optimism that Africans themselves feel about the future," said Paul Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of Diageo at the annual 2006 Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards in London, UK, last week.

Profiling the positive investment stories from Africa is one important way to shift perceptions, which is why the work of all the winners at the awards was so important, emphasised Walsh. Diageo, a global premium drinks business, is the sponsor of the annual awards. The winners were:

BEST PUBLISHED FEATURE
'Chinese influence in Africa': Reuters
Judges comment: "An exceptional piece of writing on a topic of crucial importance to Africa's economic development."

BEST TELEVISION FEATURE
'Africa's Chinese investment': Channel 4 / ITN
Judges comment: "A timely and expertly produced feature presenting the opportunities and challenges presented by China's rapidly expanding interest in Africa."

BEST RADIO FEATURE
'ICT and Africa': BBC World Service
Judges comment: "A fascinating report into how information technology is changing the way Kenyans live and work."

BEST WEBSITE
Business Day Nigeria: www.businessdayonline.com
Judges comment: "A good mixture of news and features, with informative content presented in a way that is visually appealing and easy to navigate."

BEST PUBLICATION
The Africa Report: Jeune Afrique Group
Judges comment: "A critical approach to the key issues with consistently excellent writing."

BEST JOURNALIST
David Christianson: Business in Africa
Judges comment: "First-hand research, objectivity and flair."

Walsh was joined on stage by His Excellency Joseph Muchemi, the Kenyan High Commissioner to the UK, who commented: "Kenya is fortunate to feature on the radar of the international media. Many African countries are rarely reported, if at all. But I would like to suggest that Kenya, like so many African countries, deserves fresh consideration by the media."

Presenting the awards, Dr Nick Blazquez, Diageo Africa MD, commented: "We were very encouraged by the response to this year's competition, which saw a record number of entries from Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. With these awards we are delighted to be recognising those who have gone the extra mile to promote awareness and understanding of business in Africa."

Accepting the award for Best Website, Frank Aigbogun, publisher of Business Day Nigeria said, "We are very pleased to have won this award, which we regard as a celebration of our commitment to covering the resurgence on enterprise and industry in Nigeria and the African continent in general."

Patrick Smith, editor of The Africa Report, winner of the award for Best Publication, said, "The team is delighted with this award as we see it as an endorsement of our efforts to provide serious analysis and balanced coverage of political and economic developments across Africa."

Winners received a bronze statue by the German sculptor Loni Kreuder and a cheque for £500.

For more information on the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards, and pictures from the ceremony, please visit www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com.