A number of individuals and organisations were honoured for their contributions to Africa at the 2019 edition of the African Diaspora Awards.
The awards were headline-sponsored by Brand South Africa and co-sponsored by WorldRemit in association with CMG Media International, publishers of The African Diaspora magazine.
Hosted by BBC Africa’s Lukwesa Burak, the event attracted a full house that included some of the leading lights within the African diaspora in the UK from the community and business world.
The keynote speakers were the UK Country Head for Brand South Africa Pumela Salela and Dr Ismail Ahmed - the founder of WorldRemit who both spoke about the need for Africa to continue making inroads towards being self-sufficient by providing solutions for their own problems and promote regional integration.
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Among those honoured was luxury designer and entrepreneur Alexander Amosu who runs Lux Afrique, a lifestyle and concierge service. Amosu has also designed various exclusive luxury phone products for Motorola, BlackBerry, Samsung and Apple. His various business interests include entertainment, as well as a cigar company - an unprecedented feat for an African owned business in the UK. The honour was in recognition of his exploits in business and contributions to the community.
Other notable recipients included: the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) which pushes African interventions for sustainable development of the African continent; HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust for their work in supporting people living with HIV and amplifying their voices by helping people achieve safe sexual health; and Afrobeats Events Promoter in the UK - Adesegun Adeosun Jr who runs SMADE ENTERTAINMENT for his promotion of music and culture, having hosted successful events for Ice Prince, Davido, Wizkid and Olamide.
Also honoured were: Sony Music’s Taponeswa Mavunga who is the Head of Publicity at Columbia Records UK and is credited for her influence in promoting the Afrobeats movement in the UK; Inspirational entrepreneur and Communications expert Mavis Amankwah for her thought provoking content and diversified skills which lead to a greater platform and prominence for issues directly affecting Africans and the world; Michael Berhane in recognition of his work with PeopleOfColorInTech.com in creating a platform for people of colour in the technology industry; Ghanaian star Fuse ODG for his contributions back home which include building schools and organising festivals and being one of the supporters of the Year of the Return initiative; and Tutu Foundation Chairman Clive Conway who has overseen growth at the foundation which has run projects that include a mediation service for the NHS and working with disenfranchised youths in Northen Ireland and improving police and youth relations.
Aya Consulting founder Muna Lobe, Agnes Gitau of GBS Africa, Vanessa Amadii-Ogbonna and Glam Africa founder Chioma Onwutalobi were also among those honored.
The African Diaspora Awards is a brainchild of Conrad Mwanza and continues to grow in leaps and bounds and push its vision forward with partnerships such as the 2019 edition’s Brand South Africa which is a brand that seeks to market South Africa in the diaspora and attract foreign direct investment.