Johannesburg, South Africa’s most populous city, is set to host the 2nd Edition of the African Heritage Awards (AHA) 2024, which aims to honor African greats who have impacted immensely the advancement of humanity.
According to a statement issued on Friday in Johannesburg by the organizers, Heritage Times HT, the event is slated to be held on April 13, 2024, at the Sandton Convention Center, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The ‘City of Gold’ will host the prestigious pan-African event which is a sequel to the inaugural edition held on April 1, 2023, in Kigali, Rwanda. The African Heritage Awards is a gathering strategically organized to celebrate and recognize outstanding global accomplishments of Africans within the continent and in the Diaspora, in areas of Business, Politics, Philanthropy, Entertainment & Arts, Culture, Science & Technology, and Social Innovation.
This year’s Awards is headlined by African-American billionaire Philanthropist, Robert. F. Smith, Chairman/CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Texas, United States; His Excellency, Dr. George Weah, former President of Liberia; His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana; Her Excellency, Mama Rachael Ruto, First Lady of the Republic of Kenya & Founder of Mama Doing Good Organization; Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
Others are: Mr & Mrs Strive Masiyiwa, Founder & Executive Chairman of International Technology Groups, Econet Global and Cassava Technologies; Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman/Managing Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners; Professor Thulisile Nomkhosi Madonsela, Founder of the Thuli Madonsela Foundation; Victoire Tomegah Dogbe, Prime Minister of Togo; Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, Managing Director of the Rose of Sharon Group and Executive Vice Chairman of Famfa Oil Limited; Othman Benjelloun, Co-chair of BMCE Bank Foundation and Madam Graca Machel, Founder of Graca Machel Trust and many others.
According to Heritage Times HT, the organizers of the African Heritage Awards 2024, it’s expected that this year’s edition will be more remarkable and historic, as it will be chaired by His Excellency, Sir Seretse Khama Ian Khama, former President of Botswana, and will be attended by former Heads of States and Captains of Industries across the African continent.
The recognition and awards, according to the organizers, have become imperative to sustainably foster the African culture of excellence, promote Afrocentrism, and create an ecosystem that will further retell the true African story towards the advancement of the continent’s full potentials.
This year, the organizers are moving the African Heritage Awards to the southern divide of Africa, the home of Kwaito music and the cacophonous sounds of Amapiano, to specially honour distinguished African personalities, who have dignified themselves through remarkable achievements across the globe, whilst creating sustainable impact to uplift others.
Besides conferring international prestige and recognition on these deserving Africans, the Awards will focus on the critical importance of culture and leadership, which according to the organizers, lies at the core of any shared advancement of socio-economic and political development in Africa.
The Awards is also primed to cast a spotlight on individuals who, under challenging circumstances, have empowered Africans and impacted their sphere of influence to pave the way for sustainable and equitable development.
Taking cognizance of the reality that Africa is root to a plethora of people all over the world who continue to thrive and evolve despite the limitations and challenges stemming from stereotypes, the organizers of the AHA strongly affirm that the event will contribute immensely to changing the global perception of Africans, and also spur the needed critical mass for the attainment of cultural evolution and revolution in sustainable development.
