The GUBA Awards, or Grow, Unite, Build, Africa (GUBA) Awards, formerly known as the Ghana UK-Based Achievement Awards, are organized by GUBA Enterprise, a social enterprise dedicated to the support and advancement of Africans in the diaspora and on the continent through various socio-economic programmes and initiatives.
The awards event celebrates and rewards the excellence and innovation of African individuals and organizations working towards the advancement, empowerment, and progression of the African community in the Diaspora.[1]
The GUBA Awards initially began as an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom with the goal of recognizing the "hugely significant" contribution that British-Ghanaians made to society.
Dentaa, a Ghanaian TV personality resident in the United Kingdom, launched the awards in 2009, with the first event held in London, England, in October 2010. Dentaa, GUBA President, got the idea to create the awards because she thought that "nothing out there" encouraged and appreciated the hard work and achievements of British Ghanaians.[2]
The GUBA Awards was the first ceremony of its kind specifically to recognize Ghanaian achievement and the only awards to be endorsed by the Ghana High Commission in the UK and the British High Commission in Ghana.[3] More recently, the organizers have sought to also involve the wider African communities as they attempt to gain international attention. The GUBA Awards ceremony attracts a high calibre of African political luminaries as well as business and entrepreneurial personalities.[4]
In July 2013, the GUBA Awards received an International Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Excellence Award, beating more than 100 nominees from the UK corporate sector.[5]
Organisation
Categories in the GUBA Awards are divided into sections that represent the Ghanaian flag: Red (Business & Enterprise); Gold (Popular Culture); Green (Community) and Black Star (Recognition Awards).[6]
Hundreds of recommendations for nominees are received annually. A vetting process is in place along with a clear criterion that each candidate has to satisfy prior to being accepted as a nominee. Only the activities of the candidates in the 12 months leading up to the awards are considered, so that everyone stands a fair chance.[2]
A panel of judges comprising prominent members of the Ghanaian community is responsible for compiling the final shortlist of nominees. In both the 2010 and 2011 GUBA Awards there were three judges: Charles Thompson MBE (CEO of the Screen Nation Awards), singer Rhian Benson and solicitor Maame Biama Asante.[7] For the 2012 awards there were four judges: Charles Thompson, Mavis Amankwah (managing director of communications firm Rich Visions), Freddy Annan (CEO for BASE Management Group) and Sandra Teichman (a director in the London arm of US law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman).[8]
For the GUBA Awards 2013, the categories were: Business of the Year; IIA Sustainability Award; Efie Ne Fie Award; Young Entrepreneur of the Year; Rising Star of the Year; Fashion Fusion Designer of the Year; Music Act of the Year; Ghanaian Association of the Year; Inspirational Personality of the Year; Unsung Hero of the Year; and Charity of The Year.
With the exception of the Recognition Awards category, the winners in each section are decided by public vote[2] and announced at the awards ceremony.
Directional shift
2019 marked a monumental moment for the GUBA Awards, with the awards being held for the first time in the United States. The awards were held in New York alongside the 74th UN General Assembly, which saw a change in direction of the awards' scope.
The 2019 United States edition of the GUBA Awards was held under the theme "African Diaspora, the Catalyst for Growth and Innovation".[9][10]
In 2021, the awards were held in Ghana for the first time since its inception to celebrate the centenary of the death of Ghanaian historical warrior and hero Nana Yaa Asantewaa.[11]
Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award – (Shaun Campbell on behalf of) Arthur Wharton, the first professional black football player and the world 100-yard record holder.
GUBA Awards 2013 winners
The 2013 award ceremony took place at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London.[17]
Business & Enterprise
Sustainable Business Award: Agro Mindset Organization (David Asiamah)
Outstanding Achievement Award – Attorney General Gloria Afua Akuffo and former Attorney General Merietta Brew Oppong.
Outstanding Student Achiever Award – Samuel Afari.
GUBA Awards 2021 winners
The 2021 GUBA Excellence Awards event was dedicated to celebrating a century of the transition of Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Ejisu, who led the Asante army to fight the British in 1900. The theme was "Celebrating a Symbol of Courage and Resilience", and the awards recognised all African women in the past century.[19]
GUBA Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Excellence Honour (in Economic Development) – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
GUBA Yaa Asantewaa Woman of Impact Honour (Transtlantic Development) – Bozoma Saint John
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