Entries for the nomination of outstanding personalities for this year’s coveted “African of the Year” award has opened and will run up until September 30, organisers of the award, Daily Trust announced yesterday.
The award, which attracts a prize sum of US$50,000 given by a leading pan-African commercial bank, UBA Plc, is to help encourage charity projects embarked upon by the winner.
Associate Director of Daily Trust, Aliu Akoshile said in a statement that “ideal nominees should be ordinary Africans who have made extra-ordinary contributions to human development in any part of the continent this year.”
He said nominations can be made online at www.dailytrust.com.ng/award at the end of which the winner will be selected by a seven-member Advisory Board/Prize Committee.
Mr. Akoshile said former Prime Minister of Tanzania and ex-scribe of the Organization of African Unity (now African Union), Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, chairs the 7-man committee, which was recently reconstituted.
Other members of the Committee who represents Africa’s regional blocs are: Ambassador Mona Omar (North Africa), Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba (West Africa), Ms. Gwen Lister (Southern Africa), Mr. Pascal Kambale (Central Africa), Professor Sylvia Tamale (East Africa) and representative of UBA Plc, the Co-sponsors of the award. The Chairman/CEO of Daily Trust, Mr. Kabiru Yusuf represents the award promoters.
Now in its 7th edition, the African of the Year award was inaugurated in 2008 by Daily Trust in fulfillment of the newspaper’s avowed commitment to promoting African unity and sustainable development across the continent.
The maiden award was presented to a Congolese gynecologist, Dr. Denis Mukwege, in recognition of his exemplary humanitarian offer of free reconstructive surgery to victims of rape in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, (DRC).
The subsequent awards have been won by the late Dr. Tajudeen Abdulraheem (2009), Mr Danny Jordan (2010), Judge Mrs. Fatimata Bazeye (2011), Mr. Thabo Mbeki (2012) and Dr. Donald Kaberuka (2013). The 2014 award was skipped owing to the prevalence of Ebola disease in parts of Africa.
Some of the distinguished personalities who had served on the Prize Committee chaired by Dr. Salim are: Prof. Abdoulaye Bathily, Prof. Tandeka Nkiwane, Ms. Muthoni Wanyeki, Prof. Okello Oculi, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, Prof. Kwame Karikari, and the late Dr. Tajudeen Abdulraheem.