DAILY TRUST invites nominations for African of the Year 2020 award

DAILY TRUST has called for nominations of exemplary personalities for the coveted African of the Year 2020.

According to Nura Daura, acting CEO of the organisation, nominations are open from August 24, 2020 to midnight of October 24, 2020.

Daura, said ideal nominees should be ordinary Africans who have made extra-ordinary contributions to humanity in any field from any part of the continent.

He said 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.

“Valid entries for the 2020 award will be for works, events or activities undertaken by the nominee between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020 and nominations are to be made online at award.dailytrust.com,” he said in a statement.

“The eventual winner will be selected by a seven-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), Mr. Pascal Kambale (Central Africa) and Professor Sylvia Tamale (East Africa). The Chairman of the Board of Media Trust Limited, Mr. Kabiru Yusuf represents the award promoters.”

Daura said a winner will emerge, strictly based on the selection criteria and not the number of entries submitted on his/her behalf.

He said the presentation ceremony for the 2020 edition of the African of the Year Award will still hold in Abuja, in January, 2021, despite the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, but in adherence with internationally established protocols for convening events under the corona virus atmosphere.

Now in its 13th 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.

The maiden award was presented to Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gynaecologist, 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 is 10 years after DAILY TRUST recognised his remarkable humanitarian gesture.

Last year’s award was won by popular South African humanitarian, Rosalia Mashale, for her commitment to providing loving care to the orphans from Khayelitsha, a community afflicted by the severest AIDS epidemic in the world.