The 8th edition of AFRICA CEO FORUM, the largest annual gathering of the African private sector will take place in Abidjan with the participation of top-level representatives from Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Senegal, Nigeria and Mozambique, as well as the vice president of the continent’s leading economic powerhouse, Nigeria. The forum would hold high-level business meetings where African leaders share experiences and identify trends that affect the business world and African development.
As part of the forum’s core feature to identify and duly appreciate substantial contribution in business and African development, leaders, businesses and investors whose strategy and performance have contributed the most to Africa’s growth in the past year will be recognized through five awards, from “CEO of the Year” to “Disrupter of the Year” at the AFRICA CEO FORUM AWARDS in partnership with Mazars.
The 2020 cohort of African leaders and companies is made up of 26 nominees of which 5 are Nigerian companies which are: Austin Avuru, CEO, Seplat; Herbert Wigwe, Group MD and CEO, Access Bank Group; United Bank for Africa; Transcorp Hotels Plc; and Flutterwave Technology Solutions Limited.
These 26 pre-selected companies and leaders specializing in sectors such as financial inclusion, food, ICT, green energy, e-commerce and infrastructure are indeed true African development success stories representing the continent as a whole.
Speaking on the uniqueness of the nominated companies and individuals, Abdou Diop, Partner at Mazars, commented: “Once again, we were thoroughly impressed with the quality of the nominees and would like to congratulate all of them. It goes to show how much talent Africa holds and these success stories deserve to be celebrated. Mazars is very proud to be a part of the 2020 awards ceremony and we can’t wait to reveal the winners on 9 March.”
The 26 African growth leaders and most successful companies have been nominated in 5 different categories and the winner in each category will be conferred the following prestigious awards:
“CEO OF THE YEAR”
Austin Avuru, CEO, Seplat
Zouhaïr Bennani, CEO, Label’Vie
Hassanein Hiridjee, CEO, Axian
James Mwangi, Group MD and CEO, Equity Group Holdings
Herbert Wigwe, Group MD and CEO, Access Bank Group
“AFRICAN CHAMPION OF THE YEAR”
Mota-Engil Africa
CIEL Limited
United Bank for Africa
OCP
The Loukil Group
“GENDER LEADER OF THE YEAR”
Transcorp Hotels Plc
Dalberg Advisors
Société Générale
Orange Middle East and Africa
GE Africa
Unilever Africa
“DISRUPTER OF THE YEAR”
Flutterwave Technology Solutions Limited
54gene
Fonroche Lighting
Baobab+
Daystar Power Group
Ringier One Africa Media (ROAM)
“INTERNATIONAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR”
Alstom
Bolloré Transport & Logistics
iSON technologies
OLAM
About the AFRICA CEO FORUM
Founded in 2012, the AFRICA CEO FORUM is an annual gathering of decision-makers from the largest African companies, as well as international investors, multinational executives, heads of state, ministers, and representatives of the main financial institutions operating on the continent.
As a platform for high-level business meetings and a place to share experiences and identify trends that affect the business world, the AFRICA CEO FORUM is committed to offering concrete and innovative solutions to help the continent and its companies move forward. Through its “Women in Business” and “Family Business” initiatives, it also aims to increase the representation of women in decision-making positions on the continent and to support the transformation of African family businesses.
Organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group, the AFRICA CEO FORUM also hosts the Women in Business Annual Leadership Meeting dedicated to women leaders, and in 2019 launched the Africa CEO Network, the most powerful and influential network of business leaders in Africa.
