2005 DIAGEO AFRICA BUSINESS REPORTING AWARDS
Winners announced at gala ceremony at London's Guildhall
London, 5 July 2005
At a gala ceremony at London's Guildhall on Monday evening, Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business, announced the winners of the prestigious 2005 Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards.
Over 200 people from the worlds of business, media, government and civil society attended the ceremony. Hosting the event, Lord Blyth, Diageo chairman, talked of the increasing importance of Africa to Diageo's global operations. He shared his hope that, by promoting more widespread reporting of business in Africa, the awards would help "to encourage potential investors to look more closely at the opportunities the continent has to offer".
HE Paul Boateng, British High Commissioner to South Africa, then addressed the audience. He took the opportunity to urge journalists to tell "the whole story" of Africa. "Africa is not a single place," said Mr Boateng. "It is very complex and its potential is wondrous. We all hope in 2005 that that potential is unlocked."
Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, Executive Head of the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD), followed Mr Boateng. Stressing the need to attract more investment to Africa, he commended Diageo for its efforts to raise the profile of business in Africa. "These awards have been established by a company that knows Africa to be a welcoming destination," said Professor Nkuhlu. "I applaud Diageo for this innovative approach to encourage more prolific reporting of African business in the international media."
Nick Blazquez, Diageo Africa managing director, then presented the awards, bronze statues by the German artist Loni Kreuder. The winners are:
Best Published Feature
Issac Umunna (Africa Today) – 'A partnership of giants'
Best Television Feature
Grant Ferrett and Caroline Pare (BBC Newsnight) – 'Coca-Cola comes to Mogadishu'
Best Publication
African Business (IC Publications)
Best Website
Business in Africa (www.businessinafrica.net)
Best Journalist
Anver Versi (African Business)
Accepting the award for Best Publication, Anver Versi, editor of African Business, said, "Unfortunately, coverage of Africa often bears little resemblance to the Africa we know. As far as we are concerned, Africa has enormous potential. We haven’t tried to portray Africa in a positive way, just as we know it."
Now in their second year, the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards were established to recognise and reward journalists and editors providing quality coverage of the business environment in Africa. They are part of a broader Diageo-led programme looking at Africa and the media. Later this year, Diageo will launch Newsdesk: Business Africa, an interactive training tool for student journalists.
ENDS
CONTACTS
Please contact Bev Burnham, Corporate Relations Manager, Diageo Africa +44 (0)20 8978 6587 bev.burnham@diageo.com or Anita Ferns, Awards Secretariat, Diageo Africa +44 (0)20 8978 6506
anita.ferns@diageo.com.
Alternatively, please check out the website www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Diageo plc
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage
alcohol brands across spirits, wine and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys,
Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, and Beaulieu
Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
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.
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.
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