"Casual evidence shows thousands of American corporations on the continent. Yet, there is no Africa-wide initiative focused on highlighting the impact of American companies in Africa, nor any formal recognition of U.S. companies for their economic and social contributions," says Dr Bob Wekesa, Deputy Director of ACSUS.
"It has been acknowledged that trade in goods and services between Africa and its foreign partners is a key ingredient for long-term and sustainable development of the continent. Many U.S. businesses of varying sizes in diverse sectors have invested substantially in African economies, thus enabling the continent to participate in the global economy. However, there is little in the way of structured, systematic, and rigorous bodies of information and knowledge on U.S.
The project will produce and disseminate knowledge on lessons learned from the winning businesses. This will build a library of case studies of U.S. businesses doing business in Africa to inform academic and intellectual programmes. The competition is open to any U.S. business working in the aforementioned economic sectors in any of the five regions of Africa.
The deadline to enter the awards is 30 July 2022. After this, a stringent judging process will start. The awards gala event will be on 28 October 2022 at the Hilton Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. A conference on Doing Business in Africa will be convened at Wits on the 29 October 2022. Information on how to enter for the awards, including judging principles, is available