From Steve Oko, Umuahia
The AUTHORITY Newspapers soared again on Thursday as it won the prestigious “Best African Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Newspaper of the Year 2017 Awarda�?.
The award was conferred on the trailblazing media organisation by the African Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (AASME).
Other recipients of various awards from AASME were former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was honoured with the “African SME Platinum Award 2017” (the first to be so honoured), for introducing SME Development Fund during his tenure, which enabled the operators to have access to “N220 billion and later N350 billion” funds to boost their business.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also won the “African SME Diamond Award” as the best “African Vice President in promoting and developing the MSME sector in Nigeria by establishing SME Clinic in Aba, and for touring 21 MSME cities in Nigeria within one year as Acting Presidenta�?.
Other recipients included Prof. Bath Nnaji, for building a power plant in Aba, Abia State, which will boost the businesses of SMEs operators in the city; Union Bank as “The Best SME Development Bank”; a post-humours award for the late Premier of Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara, for his agricultural revolution, among others.
At the colourful event on Thursday held at the Binez Hotels, Aba, the President, AASME, Ambassador Darlington Kalu, said that the awards were in recognition of the contributions of the recipients in promoting SMEs in Africa.
He commended The AUTHORITY Newspapers for projecting the activities of SME operators in Nigeria, especially Aba, which, according to him, helped in “pushing made-in-Aba products” to the global spotlight.
Kalu noted that “The AUTHORITY has covered and publicised our activities and programmes without asking for any incentive,a�? adding that though new on the newsstand, the newspaper had made its mark as one of the leading national dailies with growing readership in the country.
The Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The AUTHORITY, Mr. Madu Onuorah, thanked AASME for its dogged efforts in coordinating SMEs in Africa and for attracting both foreign and local funds and partnership to the sector.
Represented at the event by the Abia State Correspondent, Mr. Steve Oko, Mr. Onuorah thanked the association for recognising the contributions of The AUTHORITY in the promotion of SMEs in Nigeria, and promised to sustain the tempo.
The AUTHORITY wins Best African SMEs Newspaper Award
