The 2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship officially opened for entries on May 31st 2011 and will conclude in early December with an expanded Gala Awards event in conjunction with a high-profile conference on entrepreneurship. Two more countries – Liberia and Senegal – have been added to the competition for a total of 17 participating countries in all.
Applications must be submitted on line and winning companies will be judged by a world-class panel of experts for excellence in business performance, strategies for growth, visionary leadership, innovation, and core values. Successful companies will demonstrate the power of business in creating impact within their communities, by fostering job creation and improving living standards and prosperity overall.
From the Longitude Prize in the 18th century to Alfred Nobel’s laureate awards at the start of the 20th century, the power of prize programmes to catalyse innovation and inspiration is undeniable. Such prizes serve a purpose beyond recognition and reward alone – also raising awareness, creating role models and igniting ambition. From our experience with previous prize programmes within Africa and globally, we have met remarkable entrepreneurs who never lost belief in themselves, even when confronted by overwhelming challenges but persevered to bring their ideas to fruition. As such entrepreneurs work to create businesses that meet the needs of those around them and by doing so raise the living standards of their communities while also creating something of lasting value for themselves, their employees, their communities and their nations. The Legatum Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship is honoured to provide a platform upon which they may continue to inspire a new generation of African entrepreneurs.
The objectives of the Legatum Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship are:
- To promote the value of entrepreneurship as a driving force of today’s Africa
- To celebrate the standards of business excellence within Africa
- To encourage small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to embrace the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship
- To build strong networks of African entrepreneurs as a source of learning and sharing of best practice
- To attract more venture capital inflows towards good businesses in sub-Saharan Africa
2011 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship
Announcements regarding this year’s programmme will be made shortly and applications will open in May. The Gala Awards Banquet will take place in early December in Nairobi.