Allison O. Valentine – First Secretary (Information, Culture and Education) – Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Germany has praised the AFRONEWS – Ortel Mobile African Community in Germany Awards for recognising and appreciating African talent.
Mr Valentine, who was a Special Guest at the African Community in Germany Awards Gala Night in Eschborn on 22nd October 2022, conveyed the salutations of His Excellency Yusuf Tuggar, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Germany.
Ambassador Tuggar “wished to be here today but unfortunately, he was for a meeting with Mr. President in Abuja. His Excellency asked me to let you know that he places great importance on this auspicious award ceremony and sends his best regards, with the hope of being able to attend the next event in person,” Mr Valentine said.
The Nigerian Diplomat said he was “honoured and delighted” to the attend the Awards Gala Night to represent the Embassy.
“For all those that were present at last year’s Award Ceremony, I am sure you would agree with me when I say that it was an important and wonderful ceremony not simply because of the glitz and glamour but specifically for its quintessence. It was a splendid display of recognition and appreciation for African talent,” Mr Valentine said.
Fifteen awards were presented to Africans who have excelled in different fields in Germany during the Awards Gala Night in the presence of so many Excellencies, eminent business and community leaders.
Some of the dignitaries who graced the event included: Ms Bärbel Grade – the First Councillor of Eschborn, Mr Prince Makurudze – Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe to Germany, Mrs Melanie Nolte – Vice President of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industries and Commerce, Mr Dimitrios Tsakiroglou – Ria Money Transfer Retail Manager, Germany, and Mr Kofi Adu Frimpong – Taptap Send Growth Launcher.
Mr Valentine graced the first edition of the AFRONEWS – Ortel Mobile African Community in Germany Awards Gala Night in Frankfurt in 2021.
He said: “Recognition and Appreciation are two words that may sometimes be taken for granted but for those who dedicate themselves to a career, a job, a cause, or a way of life, these two expressions should never be underestimated especially for Africans that are living in a foreign land. Something as simple and oftentimes effortless as showing simple appreciation to a person or recognizing someone for what they are doing, may have unexpected profound effects.”
He added: “Some of you here may have seen some social experiment videos on social media where saying just Thank You, or I Appreciate What You are Doing or Well done, brought tears to that person’s eyes because they have always felt unappreciated.”
Mr Stephen Ogongo, who is the editor of Afronews.de, founded the African Community in Germany Awards in 2021 to celebrate and recognise outstanding achievements of Africans in different fields in Germany. The Awards appreciate and encourage Africans who have excelled in different fields and are making a positive contribution to the German society. They also recognise the good work done by African organisations/associations and businesses to promote a positive image of Africa and Africans, facilitate integration of Africans in Germany, promote business opportunities and international cooperation between Germany and African countries.
The organization of the Awards Gala Night was coordinated by Gillian Lwangu Piroth, the CEO of My Ethnic Cooking & Catering (MEC) who also prepared the together with her team of chefs the high-class African dinner served at the Awards Gala Night.
“I hold no doubt in mind that tonight’s award winners have at one point in time, or another, had sleepless nights, ruined weekends or holiday plans maybe even experienced personal trauma or issues, in order to succeed on their chosen path. With that in mind, the effort that AfroNews and Ortel Mobile have put into providing a platform to recognize and appreciate the hard work, diligence and steadfastness of Africans living in Germany, on their chosen path, is truly praiseworthy and it eschews the real values placed on dedication, that should never be taken for granted,” Mr Valentine said.
He added: “It is our sincere hope that this event and future events will continue to inspire other Africans striving to be successful and serve as a beacon of hope in the knowledge that efforts will not go unnoticed.”
Mr Valentine expressed the Embassy’s appreciation to the organizers of the Awards Gala Night and to the awardees for the well-deserved recognition.
The winners of the AFRONEWS – Ortel Mobile African Community in Germany Awards 2022:
• The Best African Business/Entrepreneur in Germany 2022: Kumbirai Chipadza
• The Best African Radio Station in Germany 2022: Radio R FM
• The Best African Author in Germany 2022: Diana Mac Omolo
• The Best African Gastronomy – Restaurant/Caterer in Germany 2022: Mary Ikhuoria
• The Best African Fashion Designer in Europe 2022: Roselyne Ogonya
• The Best African Events Organiser in Germany 2022: Christopher Mendy (Chris Black)
• The Best African Actor in Germany 2022: Prince Ogugua Igwe
• The Best African TV Personality in Germany 2022: Nyima Jadama
• The Best African Association in Germany 2022: Kultur und Evangelium Musik Expo e.V.
• The Best African Teacher/Coach in Germany 2022: Evelyne Waithira Mueller
• Best African Musician/Band in Germany 2022: Joy Wendo
• The Best African Beauty & Hair Salon in Germany 2022: Joyce Avoka
• The Best African DJ in Germany 2022: Babajide Moibi (DJ Freegah)
• Lifetime Achievement Award 2022: Elizabeth Horlemann
The African Community in Germany Awards Gala Night 2022
All winners were announced and recognised at the African Community in Germany Awards Gala Night to be held on 22nd October 2022 at 17:00 at Bürgerzentrum Niederhöchstadt, Montgeronplatz 1, 65760 Eschborn.
A special thanks to the Sponsors of African Community in Germany Awards 2022
Ortel Mobile, Germany’s leading prepaid sim cards provider for people with a migration background, was the major sponsor of the African Community in Germany Awards 2022.
The Awards were also sponsored by Taptap Send, an easy-to-use smartphone app that lets you send money to family and friends with just a few taps and a debit card, and Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), a global leader in the money transfer industry.
Start.Up Lounge Africa, a management consulting firm connecting and promoting businesses in Africa and Europe were also a part of the sponsors to this amazing event.
READ MORE ABOUT THE AWARDS:
Ortel Mobile CEO Gregor Fränzel delighted to attend African Community in Germany Awards Gala Night
Ambassador Alice Mashingaidze hails African Community in Germany Awards, invites investors to Zimbabwe
African Community in Germany Awards a platform to show off African excellence in Germany – Bärbel Grade, First Councillor of Eschborn