Reporting Africa - Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2004

Diageo champions a positive image for Africa through its Business Reporting Awards

While African markets make up a significantly increasing part of global investment portfolios, the branding of Africa and the reporting of African business in the international media is scant and predominantly negative. 

In July 2004, at a presentation in London attended by senior figures in media and commerce, Diageo Africa presented awards to recognise outstanding broadcasts, publications, features and journalism on Africa.  The Diageo Africa Business Awards for international news agencies and journalists aim to focus attention on the shortfall in business reporting in Africa and to encourage more international correspondents to report on the continent’s business environment. 

With 20% of Diageo’s worldwide workforce located in Africa and recognising the role of the media in building investor confidence in the continent, Diageo established the Diageo Africa Business Awards as part of a broader initial three-year programme to support positive reporting of Africa and to build capacity among aspiring broadcast journalists.

Award winners included Shola Olowu, Egon Cossou and Neil Drake of the BBC for the series ‘Ten years on: a South African story’, Robert Guest of The Economist for Best Journalist in ‘How to make Africa smile’ and BBC News Online for best publication/programme.

Presenting the awards alongside Diageo Africa’s Managing Director, David Hampshire, was Thaninga Shope-Linney, the Communications and Marketing General Manager for the NEPAD Secretariat. 

Congratulating Diageo, Ms. Shope-Linney noted that “these awards are evidence of the entrepreneurial vision which the private sector can contribute to mobilising the capital, technology and human skills which Africa requires.”