Preparation for the 6th edition of EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2020 for West Africa has entered the final stage, with six finalists shortlisted for the top spot in the Master and Emerging categories, following rigorous screening processes by an independent jury.
Launched in West Africa in 2011, the award is designed to honour and celebrate entrepreneurs in West Africa who have combined ingenuity, hard work and perseverance to create sustained successful growing businesses. The programme has enjoyed international recognition for the past 34 years as the most celebrated global business award.
Giving overview of the award, Henry Egbiki, EY country leader and regional managing partner for West Africa, says: “The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award was instituted to recognise and celebrate unique sets of men and women in West Africa who use their entrepreneurial energy and passion to reshape our world with their innovation thus create economic and social values in the business world through creating job opportunities.”
Sharing further insights about the awards, Ashish Bakhshi, head of markets and EOY leader (West Africa), says entrepreneurs are wonderful and remarkable business leaders who have broken unimaginable ground.
“They are incredible individuals who are more of doers than preachers. This is the principal reason EY instituted the award program to honour and celebrate these extraordinary sets of individuals,” Bakhshi says.
Today, the programme spans more than 150 cities in 60 countries, which together represent more than 90 percent of the global economy.
This year, Michael Olasubomi Balogun will be bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award, who unarguably remains a legend in the country’s financial landscape and one of the most celebrated bankers in Africa.
Cosmas Maduka, founder, president/CEO of Coscharis Group, and Igbuan Okaisabor, founder/CEO of Construction Kaiser were shortlisted in the Master Entrepreneur category.
Some of the entrepreneurs in the Emerging Entrepreneur category are Toni Ogunbor, founder of Nosak Group of Companies; Godwin Ehigiamusoe, founder/MD of LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited; Olakunle Akeju, founder/CEO of Petrogap Oil & Gas Limited,and Obi Ezeude, founder/president/CEO of Beloxxi Industries Limited.
The winners will be announced at a gala/award dinner on March 6 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos.
