Nepad wins US award

2002-09-21 12:43

Johannesburg - The African continent's economic revival programme, Nepad, has won this year's Africa Vision Award, the United States-based Africa Achievement Awards (AAA) committee announced on Saturday.

Nepad, an acronym for the New Partnership for Africa's Development, a brainchild of President Thabo Mbeki, is an initiative to revive the continent economically and politically.

In a statement from California, US, AAA spokesperson Ronald Mracky said Nepad was the eleventh recipient of the award, which last year honoured Presidents Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Bill Clinton of the US.

Mracky said the award would be accepted by the head of Nepad's secretariat, Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, who is also Mbeki's economic adviser, at a gala dinner scheduled for October 25 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Nkuhlu would also participate in several of the planned functions focusing on presenting and providing details of the Nepad initiative to the California business and investment communities.

At the same function, US Congresswoman Diane E Watson, a member of the US Congress International Relations Committee will also be honoured with this year's International Politics Award.

Dr Carole Jordan-Harris, a renowned US physician of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre will receive the Africa Humanitarian Award, while other honourees will include Chief Musa Kanike-Martin (Africa Community Leadership Award), Amanda Wash (Africa Civic Responsibility) and the Western Union Financial Services International (2002 Diversity Award).

According to Mracky the AAA has also selected the Republic of Kenya and its people as the "Country of Honour" to be celebrated during the awards ceremony.

"The African Achievement Awards is produced and presented by the US-based national circulation newspaper The African Times.

"This year the Africa Awards are being held as the highlight finale of the Africa Celebration Week being presented by South African Consulate-General in partnership with the Milken Institute, the Africa Diaspora Institute and The African Times Publications," Mracky said.

- SAPA