Diageo Launches Africa Business Reporting Awards 2009
Study reveals link between media and investment in Africa

16 February 2009

Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business, is today launching its sixth annual Africa Business Reporting Awards. Initiated by Diageo in 2004 the awards seek to encourage more prolific business journalism in Africa and to increase the continent’s share of voice in the international media.

A study commissioned by Diageo, and published today to coincide with the first call for entries for the Awards, reveals that coverage of business in Africa has proliferated during the last five years, growing in quantity, quality and frequency. Thirty six investors across four continents with a combined portfolio of around US$20bn under management in Africa were surveyed. They supplied their views about the media and how it informs their investment decisions.

Although there is still a disparity between perceptions of Africa in the West and the reality on the ground in Africa, this study also reveals that African business reporting is more important now than ever before, because investors into Africa are increasing in number and in type. This is driving the interest in business related information.

Nick Blazquez, Managing Director, Diageo Africa commented: ‘‘What this study shows is that African Business media has increased over the past five years, and that perceptions about Africa as an investment destination have changed. The economic and social development taking place in many African economies is attracting new types of investors; and greater and better flows of information are catalysing new flows of investment."

It is in this climate of more sophisticated economic development that Diageo is launching the Africa Business Reporting Awards 2009. These awards once again recognise journalists, photographers, broadcasters, and editors from around the world who have excelled in reporting accurate and unbiased information about the region and have helped shape opinions and create an enabling environment for business in Africa to succeed.

The awards categories are:

Best Published Feature
Best Radio Feature
Best Television Feature
Best Published Photograph
Media of the Year
Journalist of the Year

The closing date for entry is 15 April 2009.
The awards ceremony will be held on 2 July 2009 in Central London
There is no entry fee.

For more details and entry guidelines, or to download a copy of the African business media and investment study please visit: www.africabusinessreportingawards.com or contact africapractice, the Awards secretariat on +44(0) 7551 525 773

or

Isabelle Thomas
Diageo plc
00 44 (0) 20 7927 5967

Audrey Mpunzwana
Africa Practice
00 44 (0) 7551 525 773

About Diageo

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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Diageo Africa

Diageo Africa is active, particularly in brewing, but also in distilling, in the majority of the sub-Saharan African countries. For Guinness, in particular, the connection with Africa is a long one; the first recorded exports of Guinness to Africa were to Sierra Leone in 1827. Now Guinness is brewed in over 20 countries throughout Africa and is exported to many others. The popularity of the brand is going from strength to strength in Africa - Nigeria is the second largest Guinness market in the world. Diageo brands are enjoyed in more than 40 African countries.

Diageo Africa region is responsible for nearly a third of Diageo's net sales of beer globally, and with over 4,500 employees accounts for around 15 per cent of Diageo's workforce worldwide.

Several of the larger Diageo companies in Africa are quoted on local stock exchanges. Guinness Nigeria, for example, has over 60,000 shareholders. All of these companies have active corporate social responsibility programmes, covering initiatives in water, health, education and other areas of value to the communities in which we operate.