Background
The inaugural Awards were held in 2004 as a response to a report entitled ‘Marginalised Continent’ (provide link), which revealed how Africa’s share of voice in the international media was very small and didn’t provide information about the business environment on the continent.
After four successful years of the Awards, Diageo commissioned a follow-up report entitled ‘African Media and Investment’ (provide link), which investigated how business media contributed to investment flows to Africa. 36 investors were interviewed, with a total of around US$20 billion under management.
The research concluded that African business media has grown in quantity, frequency and quality over the past five years and that it is the primary conduit of financial information for a mass audience.