African business reporting winners announced

Diageo, one of the world's leading premium drinks businesses, announced the winners of this year's Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards towards the end of last week.

Opening the ceremony, which was attended by over 200 people on Thursday, 6 July 2007, Paul Walsh, CEO of Diageo, who chairs the judging panel, said, "Information is key to investment decision-taking. The entries we received for this year's Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards, combined with the proliferation of new media outlets that we know is taking place on the continent, shows us that more resources are being committed today than ever before to satisfy investor needs."

The winners are:

Best Published Feature

'Giants tussle for influence' (The Africa Report)
"An important contribution to understandings of pan-Africanism and the dynamics driving relations between Nigeria and South Africa."

Best Television Feature

'Kenya Mobiles' (BBC 2 Newsnight)
"This piece breaths new life to a topic that has become a mainstay of African business reporting – the mobile phone - engaging and interesting viewing."

Best Radio Feature

'Business Daily special from Senegal' (BBC World Service)
"Explores a wide variety of issues with financiers from all over Africa, creating a nuanced perception of business in Senegal and beyond."

Best Published Photograph

'Zimbabwe immigrant leaps into South Africa' (Greg Marinovich, Financial Times)
"The image powerfully captures the reality of two neighbouring economies with very different prospects."

Best Website

Reuters Africa (http://africa.reuters.com)
"An exciting entrant into the online news space."

Best Publication

The Africa Report (Jeune Afrique Group)
"The Africa Report has carved out a new niche for high-quality, dedicated editorial and analysis of African business news."

Best Journalist

Caroline Lambert (The Economist)
"Caroline covers a broad range of issues related to African business, and she does this across many countries, bringing a varied and realistic portrayal of business on the continent to the pages of The Economist."

Presenting the awards, Dr Nick Blazquez, MD of Diageo Africa, commented, "At Diageo, our experience running a successful business and sharing those success stories has taught us just how powerful information is for investors considering Africa. Stories of opportunity from the private sector shared through a strong media is an indispensable part of tackling poverty, improving development and enabling African nations to attain their development goals."

Winners received a bronze statue by the German sculptor Loni Kreuder and a cheque for £500.

For more information, go to www.diageoafricabusinessreportingawards.com.