Daily Trust Newspaper Rewards African of the Year

To recognize and reward the activities of ordinary Africans doing extraordinary things, Daily Trust Newspaper is calling for nominations for the 2009 edition of the African of the year awards. In order to ensure that the awards are given to the most deserving Africans, an advisory committee chaired by Dr. Salim Ahmed, former Secretary General of the African Union, has been set up. Other members of the committee include Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman of Media Trust Limited; Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, former Deputy- Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria; and Professsor Kwame Karikari, a media specialist from Ghana. To qualify for the awards, the nominee’s actions which impacted on the lives of African people or spheres of activities through ideas, decisions or innovations must have taken place within the course of the year.

The 2008 edition of the award was won by Congolese gynaecologist, Dr. Denis Mukwege, for his contributions towards assisting victims of rape in the war torn country. Other recipients were Dr. Christiana Thorpe from Sierra Leone, for her conduct in the 2007 elections in Sierra Leone, and Salif Keita from Mali, for his work with albinos.

The nomination period will end on October 31, 2009, after which the advisory committee will meet to decide on the winner in Nairobi, Kenya.