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UNIDO and Microsoft win Africa Investor Award for Austrian-funded project
November 7, 2007
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UNIDO and Microsoft have received the Africa Investor Award 2007 in the category Best Initiative in Support of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development for the Uganda Business Information Center project. The award ceremony took place on 7 November in Lagos.
The awards, now in their fourth year, recognise exceptional business practices, economic achievements and investments in Africa in 16 categories, including: Best Bank; Sustainable Investing in Africa; Infrastructure Deal of the Year; Smart Regulation; Best Initiative in Support of the Millennium Development Goals; Businesswoman of the Year; and African and International Business Leaders. In addition to business success, the awards emphasise responsibility towards society and good corporate citizenship.
The Rural Business Information Centres recognised by the award have been set up by UNIDO in eight districts throughout Uganda under a project funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). Information on other UNIDO ICT-related activities is available at www.unido.org/ict
The service portfolio of the Rural Business Information Centres is as follows: Information: Information brokering and research; technology transfer brokering; consultancy and advisory services; Business Training: Training needs analysis; management and entrepreneurship development skills training; ICT skills training; Enterprise Internet Solutions: Web strategy and website development, web hosting and maintenance; development of e-business / e-commerce solutions; and Access to fast and reliable Internet.
Microsoft is supporting the Business Information Centres in the following ways: A refurbished computer and e-waste recycling initiative; local software development and mini Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions; training and skill development in ICT.
The judging panel, chaired by Dr. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Chair of the NEPAD Business Group and Executive President, African Business Roundtable (ABR), included: Dr Ken Kwaku, Special Advisor to Former President Mkapa; Ms Arunma Oteh, Vice President, Corporate Services, African Development Bank (AfDB); Mr Amir Dossal, Executive Director, United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP); Dr. William Kalema, Chairman, Uganda Investment Authority (UIA); Dr Joe Wanjui, Chairman, UAP Insurance, Kenya.
The sponsor of the Best Initiative in Support of SME Development category was the African Management Services Company (AMSCO). AMSCO is a special purpose project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. In addition to the UN and the IFC, AMSCO is supported in its work by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and a range of development finance institutions and donor countries. The organisation is thus a public-private partnership. The company is currently present in 20 African countries, with approximately 180 management professionals seconded to 91 companies.
A news item aired on CNBC World Business Report on Friday 12 October 2007, featuring UNIDO’s Business Information Centre and Refurbished Computer project in Uganda as well as the recent launch of the Local Software Development initiative is available here for viewing.
A pdf version of this page is available here
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