Daily trusta branch 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 September 11 to midnight on October 16, according to a statement signed by Media Trust Group CEO Mounir Gwarzo.
Gwarzo said ideal candidates should be “ordinary Africans who have made extraordinary contributions to humanity in any field and from any part of the continent.”
The award consists of three components: a permanent plaque, a certificate of merit and a cash reward in aid of the awardee or the chosen charitable project, according to the release.
“Valid entries for the 2023 award will be those works, events or activities carried out by the nominee between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023, and nominations must be made online at Award.dailytrust.com. The final winner will be selected by a six-member awards committee chaired by His Excellency Mr. Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana.”
“Other members of the Committee representing the regional blocks of Africa are: Ambassador Mona Omar (North Africa), Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba (West Africa), Ms. Gwen Lister (South Africa) and Pastor Rigobert MINANI BIHUZO (Central Africa). The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Media Trust Group, Kabiru Yusuf, represents the promoters of the award.”
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Gwarzo added that a winner will emerge based strictly on the selection criteria and not the number of entries submitted on their behalf.
The presentation ceremony for the 2023 edition of the African of the Year Award is scheduled for January 2024 in Abuja.
Now in its 15th edition, the African of the Year Award was launched in 2008 by Daily Trust in fulfillment of the newspaper’s commitment to African unity and sustainable development across the continent.
With this annual award, Gwarzo said, the newspaper hopes to entrench the culture of altruism among Africans with the goal of creating a group of role models that others can emulate.
The first prize was awarded to Congolese gynecologist, Denis Mukwege, in recognition of his exemplary humanitarian offer of free reconstructive surgery to rape victims in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, ten years after Daily Trust recognized his remarkable humanitarian gesture.