Germany is full of African achievers who should always be recognised and celebrated, Stephen Ogongo, Editor of Afronews.de has said. Addressing guests during the AFRONEWS – Ortel Mobile African Community in Germany Awards 2022 Awards Gala Night in Eschborn, Mr Ogongo said that by reading mainstream newspapers and watching television, one cannot easily realise the important contributions Africans make to the development and wellbeing of Germany.
“This community, African community in Germany, is actually full, and full and full of achievers, and that’s exactly what made us create this special initiative called African Community in Germany Awards,” Mr Ogongo said. “We thought of a way of recognising in a very special way people who are doing great things in our communities, things that are normally completely ignored.”
Mr Ogongo reminded the guests that he made a promise at the first Awards Gala Night in 2021 to have a second edition that was bigger and better than the first one and, true to his word – the number of categories had tripled. He hinted that this was going to be the trend.
“There is something important about celebrating people. When you celebrate someone, that person feels challenged to do better, and becomes a source of inspiration to many others to do better.”
STEPHEN OGONGO
Mr Ogongo said he was proud to be in a hall full of achievers. “We are here to celebrate achievers in our community, and this hall, I can assure you, is full of African achievers,” he said, adding that “If nobody else is seeing the good things that our people do, the least we can do as a people is to celebrate ourselves”.
“I’d like to encourage you to start getting used to the fact that this community, African community in Germany is indeed a very special community. We have people in this community doing extraordinary things to contribute to the wellbeing and development of this society, those efforts must be recognised, and we have the challenge of doing exactly that,” the founder of African Community in Germany Awards said.
Stressing the importance of celebrating people doing great things, Mr Ogongo said: “There is something important about celebrating people. When you celebrate someone, that person feels challenged to do better, and becomes a source of inspiration to many others to do better.”
He added that African Community in Germany Awards had the aim of helping African children in Germany “know that there are many successful Africans in Germany, many professionals, many achievers they can look up to for inspiration”.
The Afronews.de Editor thanked Ortel Mobile, the main sponsor of African Community in Germany Awards, for believing in the African community in Germany and for supporting the initiative to recognise Africans who have excelled in different fields.
Some of the dignitaries who graced the Awards Gala Night included: Ms Bärbel Grade – the First Councillor of Eschborn, Mr Allison O. Valentine – First Secretary (Information, Culture and Education) – Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Germany, 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 Ogongo 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 organisation 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.
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
Winners were announced and recognised at the African Community in Germany Awards Gala Night on 22nd October 2022 at Bürgerzentrum Niederhöchstadt, Montgeronplatz 1, 65760 Eschborn.
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.
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