Morocco’s Mohamed el Kettani emerged the 2019 African CEO of the year at the 7th edition of the Africa CEO Forum, which started in Kigali from March 25, 2019.
Mohamed el Kettani has invested more than $1 billion on the continent over the past seven years. He is a champion of south- south cooperation and is behind the pan-African development of Morocco’s leading bank, Attijariwafa Bank.
Also, Ethiopian Airlines won the accolade of ‘African Champion of the year’ for their intra-african partnerships, reaching 40 countries on the continent. The award was received by the airline’s CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam.
“I would like to start by thanking everyone who has supported us after the tragic accident that happened to us two weeks ago. We promise to keep up the good work for the good of the African continent,” Gebremariam said in his acceptance speech.
Other winners at the Africa CEO Summit are Engie Africa, beating other international companies to the ‘International Company of the year’ award.
Engie Africa was recognised for having three executive board members coming from Africa and having a significant impact on local communities in one of the most important sectors for Africa’s future.
Nigeria’s logistics company, Kobo 360, was named ‘The Disrupter of the Year’ for registering immediate and significant success in a sector where costs are higher in Africa than anywhere else in the world.
The awards wouldn’t have ended without recognition of gender and Access Bank were the victors, going home with the ‘Gender Leader’ award. The emancipation of women forms the backbone of the Bank’s strategy.
In their 7th year in a row, the 2019 Africa CEO Awards took place in Kigali, Rwanda, recognising outstanding performance of business leaders, companies and investors in Africa.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
African CEO of the year- Mohamed el Kettani
African Champion of the year- Ethiopian Airlines
International Company of the year- Engie Africa
The Disrupter of the Year – Kobo 360
Gender Leader- Access Bank
The AFRICA CEO FORUM is the largest international gathering of African private sector decision-makers and financiers. At its previous edition in Abidjan in March 2018, it brought together 1,500 business leaders, public decision-makers and investors from Africa and around the world for two days of discussions around the need to transform African champions in the face of international competition. The Forum is organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group, publisher of Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, and by Rainbow Unlimited, a Swiss company specializing in the organization of economic promotion events.
