““It is becoming increasingly clear that entrepreneurship is the most sure way of development”. - H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
The Legatum Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Awards is a programme that seeks to recognise and reward the best small and medium businesses (SMEs) across the African continent. In any given economy, SMEs are the largest employers, and in emerging markets particularly, they represent the best hope for a nation to achieve economic growth and social stability through the creation of worthwhile, sustainable employment.
By celebrating the success of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs, Legatum’s intention is to draw attention to a few of the many success stories in Africa. Such demonstrated success encourages greater entrepreneurship among people in the participating countries, while also attracting more international capital and investment into a continent that has an outdated reputation for persistent poverty and dependency.
Legatum joined as partners in the programme alongside the OTF Group and the S.E.VEN Fund, both organisations which share Legatum's commitment to promoting enterprise–based solutions to reducing poverty. An international panel of leading business experts was recruited for the final judging process.
In 2007, more than 450 applicants from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda were rigorously evaluated according to four criteria - effective business performance, leadership, commitment to employees and long-term sustainability - and eleven finalists selected to appear before the panel of expert judges.
The Legatum Grand Prize Winner was awarded USD 100,000 towards business development and training; five other winners were each rewarded with USD 50,000. The six winners - AAA Growers (Grand Prize Winner), Good African Coffee, Enterprise Urwibutso, KenCall, Tele-10 and Virtual City - were recognized during the Award Ceremony hosted by His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, in Kigali on November 30, 2007.
The story of the inaugural Legatum Pioneers of Prosperity Africa Prize has been captured in Unlocking Africa, a video documentary directed by Jeff Zimbalist, an Emmy-nominated and multiple award-winning filmmaker. To view the trailer, or watch the film in its entirety, please click on the link to the right.
The DVD of Unlocking Africa is available for purchase and can be delivered directly to your door for a nominal shipping and handling fee. Please be sure to indicate whether you require a DVD in NTSC format (North America and Japan) or PAL (rest of the world). Ten working days should be allowed for delivery.
For more information on the Africa Prize or for assistance with ordering a DVD please contact us on unlockingafrica@legatum.com