‘Africa LAMPS Awards’ set for debut
A Nigerian firm with strategic contacts across the continent has announced that it is set to organise what could be one of Africa’s greatest events in the coming years. The Africa LAMPS Awards, a brain child of Matchmakers Consult International, organisers of the very credible Nigeria Pitch Awards is set to enliven and re-write the history of the continent.
In a statement issued in Lagos, South West Nigeria, Shina Philips, President of Nigeria Pitch Awards, shed light of the project.
According to him ‘LAMPS is an acronym for Legends of Arts, Management, Music, Politics, Science, Sports and Security. It is an Award targeted primarily at combing the continent to identify, recognise, appreciate and reward men and women of knowledge and expertise who have impacted not just Africa but also the world.’
Philips noted that from the period of the slave trade when Africans were dispersed and ferried to other parts of the world, the African people and the continent’s resources have always impacted whatever part of the world they are taken to and they in fact still have much more to give.
“In the eyes of the international community, it may appear that we are failing in the area of leadership and science but that is not the true picture. The picture will be enacted through these awards that we are coming up with which will project Africa in a good light,” he further stated.
According to Philips, the Award Ceremony will be preceded by an Award Lecture on key issues affecting the continent. The maiden edition Lecture is titled: Sustaining African Peace and Economic Prosperity through Pro-Active Leadership-a Call to African Political Elites.
The Vice President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, Nelson Olafisoye, said the target for Africa LAMPS Awards is to bring Africa together in such a way that the world will see a different Africa.
Organisers stated that all necessary machinery are already in place for a painstaking voting process which will see every country on the continent contribute to the emergence of credible award winners.
Hoping for a grand start in Nigeria or even in Addis Ababa where the African Union Headquarters is located, organisers of the Africa LAMPS Awards said success for them would be when Africa can look up to the winners and say yes, these persons have actually done a lot for the continent and the world.
With support already coming from some countries including The Gambia, Mr. Philips said he is confident the Africa LAMPS Awards will hit the ground running.
‘’For the maiden edition of the Africa LAMPS Award, every category has three nominees and in all, we have just 15 winners.
‘’It is going to be highly competitive and it would give Africans the confidence that whoever is nominated is well deserving of the award and is also a citizen of the world,” Philips concluded.
