Earlier on in the week I got off the phone with my dad, we couldn’t speak for as long as I had hoped. He was at an awards ceremony back in Abidjan. The ceremony was commemorating long service in any one industry/profession. This information piqued my interest, and although my dad wasn’t receiving any awards, our conversation acted as a catalyst for me to find out more about where and how African workers are celebrated for their dedication, innovation, and commitment to professional and community development.

This article is discussing to what extent initiatives like the one in Cote d’Iviore are taken up.

My research firstly took me to another familial resource, my grandpa, who told me about similar initiatives in Ghana such as an annual award for the best teacher and farmer. In both instances, the winner is awarded a house! A whole house!

These awards are presided over by the government who does a nation-wide sweep to find the most suitable candidates. There are also other awards given by private bodies, such as an award for “Best Journalist”, executed by the Ghana Journalist Association. A self-promoted awards ceremony which receives a lot of publicity. There are also awards for Human Resource officers, for those in banking, and aviation. Continuing the conversation, my grandpa told me he may have neglected to mention due to poor memory, but undiscouraged, I thanked him for his help and said I’d talk to him later.

[I hope he’s good.]

Discussing this topic with him warmed my heart, firstly because it was a great chance to speak to him, but also because we could discuss the effects of such initiatives. He mentioned as I had done earlier with my dad, that these awards provided great incentives and rewards for those who show a fierce commitment to their job and career. It also promotes healthy economic competition, by encouraging other companies/individuals to challenge industry leaders in the hopes that they too can come out on top. For example, the award for “Best Bank” in Ghana, went to Ecobank, who had won it in earlier years consecutively; big competitors like Zenith Bank could benefit from the massive co-sign that such publicity entails.

Unsatisfied with my research so far, I decided to thrust myself into the depths of the cyberspace to see what else I could find. A few dead ends later, I come across The Saville Foundation’s “Award for Entrepreneurship in Education”. Which isn’t exactly a government-led initiative for industry leaders or high-performing civil servants, but it does represent a key way in which Africa’s people and workforce can be motivated. This institute awarded the Botanga Foundation the 2017 award. The Botanga Foundation, started by Grammy-award winning musician Angelique Kidjo, whose own empowering experiences in getting an education ignited her passion to create a body which particularly caters to the needs of impoverished girls. Under the Girls Club program, which has up to 1,600 girls enrolled in programs, The Botanga Foundation educated these young women in financial literacy, life skills and business knowledge. Acknowledgement of people such as Kidjo and their initiatives must be without a doubt celebrated. And the rewards provided by The Saville Foundation is certainly a great way to do it. Initiatives like this are no different from banks or schools, which are no different from the civil service. We as a people, need to encourage and reward one another for a job well done. We need to motivate and challenge each other, providing a healthy and bustling economic community for ourselves free from foreign dependency. Then only then can Africans take pride in economic and political development. However, foreign interest into Africa can be a good thing. Take for example Google Giving, which awarded roughly R10,000,000 to the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled to continue its work in developing technology to assist the disabled; not only showing a dedication to bodies that are making huge headway in tackling issues that affect countless millions.

The final and most interesting discovery I found, in pursuant of this topic was the African Youth Awards. Which are described as:

“a prestige award scheme with the prime aim of appreciating the works of young Africans in Africa and the Diaspora”.

Commemorating individuals who “have selflessly dedicated their lives to making sure the future of Africa is optimistic”.

This award encompasses a huge array of industries and professions. There are awards for “Best Journalist”, “Youth of The Year” (Male and Female) and Leader of the Year, amongst others! Last year’s winners included Manasseh Azure Awuni (Best Journalist) from Ghana, Muhire Jean Claude (Best Leader) from Rwanda, and City Rydes Limited (Start Up of the Year)

Award programs system like this, which is looking across their entire continent for nominees, is something to sit up and pay attention to, these names and companies may very well be the leaders and headliners in industry in the next 20-50 years. These people and businesses are showing dedication and innovation, tirelessly working to better their communities.

It’s clear that there are massive investments in showing appreciation for the workers and industry leaders that make up the African economy and community. It’s also increasingly clear that the future of Africa is shining, with each and every single one of us contributing to the rays bursting through the dimness of the past.