DIAGEO AFRICA BUSINESS REPORTING AWARDS 2007 WINNERS
Outstanding journalism in seven categories honoured at gala event in London

London, Friday 6 July 2007

On Thursday evening, Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business, announced the winners of this year's Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards.

They are:

Best Published Feature
'Giants tussle for influence' (The Africa Report)
"An important contribution to understandings of pan-Africanism and the dynamics driving relations between Nigeria and South Africa."

Best Television Feature
'Kenya Mobiles' (BBC 2 Newsnight)
"This piece breaths new life to a topic that has become a mainstay of African business reporting – the mobile phone - engaging and interesting viewing."

Best Radio Feature
'Business Daily special from Senegal' (BBC World Service)
"Explores a wide variety of issues with financiers from all over Africa, creating a nuanced perception of business in Senegal and beyond."

Best Published Photograph
'Zimbabwe immigrant leaps into South Africa' (Greg Marinovich, Financial Times)
"The image powerfully captures the reality of two neighbouring economies with very different prospects."

Best Website
Reuters Africa (http://africa.reuters.com)
"An exciting entrant into the online news space."

Best Publication
The Africa Report (Jeune Afrique Group)
"The Africa Report has carved out a new niche for high-quality, dedicated editorial and analysis of African business news."

Best Journalist
Caroline Lambert (The Economist)
"Caroline covers a broad range of issues related to African business, and she does this across many countries, bringing a varied and realistic portrayal of business on the continent to the pages of The Economist."

Opening the ceremony, which was attended by over 200 people, Paul Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of Diageo plc, who chairs the judging panel, said, "Information is key to investment decision-taking. The entries we received for this year's Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards, combined with the proliferation of new media outlets that we know is taking place on the continent, shows us that more resources are being committed today than ever before to satisfy investor needs."

Presenting the awards, Dr Nick Blazquez, Managing Director of Diageo Africa, commented, "At Diageo, our experience running a successful business and sharing those success stories has taught us just how powerful information is for investors considering Africa. Stories of opportunity from the private sector shared through a strong media is an indispensable part of tackling poverty, improving development and enabling African nations to attain their development goals."

Winners received a bronze statue by the German sculptor Loni Kreuder and a cheque for £500.


ENDS

For more information on the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards, and pictures from the ceremony, please visit www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com

Alternatively, please contact:

Yuki Finch, Awards Secretary, africapractice, yfinch@africapractice, +44 (0) 20 7462 7599

Bev Burnham, Corporate Relations Manager, Diageo Africa, Lakeside Drive, Park Royal, London, NW10 7HQ. bev.burnham@diageo.com +44 (0) 20 8978 6587


NOTES TO EDITORS

Diageo plc
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business. With its global vision, and local marketing focus, Diageo brings to consumers an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across the spirits, wine and beer categories including Smirnoff, Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, J&B, Cuervo, Captain Morgan and Tanqueray, and Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo trades in some 180 countries around the world and 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 www.diageo.com.

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 third largest Guinness market in the world. Diageo brands are enjoyed in more than 40 African countries.

Diageo Africa is the second largest Diageo market by volume (after North America), and with 4,000 employees, accounts for around 20% of Diageo workforce worldwide. Our contribution to the continent is significant, with £230 million paid in tax to African governments in the last year.

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.