Daily Trust, an arm of Media Trust Limited, on Monday called for nominations of exemplary personalities for the coveted African of the Year 2023 award.
Nominations are open from 11 September to midnight of 16 October, a statement signed by the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Media Trust Group, Mounir Gwarzo, said.
Mr Gwarzo said ideal nominees should be “ordinary Africans who have made extraordinary contributions to humanity in any field from any part of the continent.”
The award consists of three components, namely, a permanent plaque, a certificate of merit and a cash reward in aid of the awardee or his/her chosen charity project, the statement said.
“Valid entries for the 2023 award will be for works, events or activities undertaken by the nominee between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023, and nominations are to be made online at award.dailytrust.com. The eventual winner will be selected by a six-member prize committee chaired by His Excellency, Mr Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana.”
“Other members of the Committee who represent Africa’s regional blocs are: Ambassador Mona Omar (North Africa), Mr Amadou Mahtar Ba (West Africa), Ms Gwen Lister (Southern Africa), and Pastor Rigobert MINANI BIHUZO (Central Africa). The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Media Trust Group, Mr Kabiru Yusuf, represents the award promoters.”
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Mr Gwarzo added that a winner will emerge strictly based on the selection criteria and not the number of entries submitted on his/her behalf.
The presentation ceremony for the 2023 edition of the African of the Year Award is slated for January 2024 in Abuja.
Now in its 15th edition, the African of the Year Award was inaugurated in 2008 by Daily Trust in fulfilment of the newspaper’s commitment to African unity and sustainable development across the continent.
With this annual award, Mr Gwarzo said, the newspaper hopes to entrench the culture of selflessness among Africans with the aim of creating a pool of role models for others to emulate.
The maiden award was presented to a Congolese gynaecologist, Denis Mukwege, in recognition of his exemplary humanitarian offer of free reconstructive surgery to victims of rape in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, which was 10 years after Daily Trust had recognised his remarkable humanitarian gesture.
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