We congratulate winners of the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards

Today July 2, 2009 excellence in business journalism on Africa will be recognized and awarded at a remarkable ceremony in London at the Park Lane Hotel.

We at ghanabusinessnews.com would like to congratulate the eventual winners for the good job done in highlighting business trends on the continent.  Most often than not,Africa made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, there are successful entrepreneurs and businesses in Africa that must be adequately covered to show the world what the continent has to offer to the world in business. The gallant journalists, therefore, who report on business in Africa deserve the recognition that they are getting.

The awards scheme in its sixth year was established by the world’s leading premium drinks business, Diageo to reward excellence in business reporting in Africa.

Diageo also recognizes that more and better business journalism stimulates investment flows to and within Africa.

ghanabusinessnews.com is grateful to Diageo on behalf of the continent for the onerous commitment the company has exhibited in supporting such a laudable act that would go a very long way to motivate good quality business journalism on the continent.

This year’s competition received a record number of entries and the following are the nominees:

Best Published Feature

‘Opportunity Knocks’  – Richard Cockett (The Economist)

‘Too Fast for Comfort’  – François Misser (The Africa Report)

‘Up and Away’  – Lanre Akinola (This is Africa)

‘A Tale of Two Forests’  – Wycliffe Muga (African Business)

‘Consumerism for Kenya’s As and Bs’  – Barney Jopson (Financial Times)

Best Radio Feature

‘Zambia Economy Series’  – Paul Moss (BBC Radio 4 – The World Tonight)

‘When Your Access Card Stops Working’  – Evelyn Njoroge (Capital FM)

‘Africa Slowdown’  – James Whittington and others (BBC World Service)

‘Shop Africa 53’  – Will Ross (BBC Radio 4)

Best Television Feature

‘Angola’s Booming Economy’ –  Marie Lora (AFP TV)

‘Doing Business in Africa’  – Sue Beukes (CNBC Africa)

‘Farming Africa Out of Crisis’  – Nina Schwendemann (Reuters TV)

‘Outsourcing to Kenya’ – Terryanne Chebet  (CNBC Africa)

‘Africa Investment Horizons’ Carol –  Pineau (PBS)

Best Published Photograph

‘Designer Brings Haute Couture Home to Sierra Leone’  – Katrina Manson (Reuters)

‘The Search for Gold in Congo’  – Finbar O’Reilly (Reuters [Vart Land, New York Times, Boston Globe])

‘Senegal’s Rice Farmers’  – George Gobet (AFP)

Media of the Year

This Is Africa (Financial Times Ltd)

The Africa Report (Jeune Afrique)

Reuters Africa Website (Reuters)

Business Daily (Nation Media Group)

African Banker (IC Publications)

Journalist of the Year

Marie Lora (AFP)

Richard Cockett (The Economist)

Xan Rice (The Guardian)

Nicholas Norbrook (The Africa Report)

Anver Versi (African Business)

Commenting on this year’s awards, Nick Blazquez, Managing Director, Diageo Africa said, “The record breaking number of entries from across the globe reflects the increase in business reporting on Africa in 2008/2009. This rise in national, regional and international coverage is particularly significant, because research has shown that the mainstream media is a primary source of information for investors when gauging where and whether to invest in Africa.”

May the best win. Congrats to you all.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi