EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The International Manufacturing Conference & Awards (IMCA) has been designed by The Business Executive Media Group with the ultimate aim of identifying and bringing together a selection of exemplary manufacturing companies from all across Africa with a view to both promoting awareness of and trade in made in Africa manufactured goods among member states of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and also promoting awareness of and patronage of outstanding quality and price competitive made in Africa manufactured goods in foreign markets beyond Africa itself, all around the rest of the world.
The event will comprise two segments: an awards ceremony at which manufacturing companies from across Africa, and a few individuals, adjudged by a comprehensive selection process as exemplary, will be conferred with awards; preceded by a pan-continental conference participated in by the awardees and a selection of key stakeholders in their activities. Award winners will be feted at the five star gala awards conferment ceremony – where they will receive plaques and citations – after participating in a one day conference that will bring together award winners, sovereign and multilateral policy makers, business facilitators product standards setters and business service providers, as well as direct investors and manufactured product traders. The conference will address key challenges and opportunities facing manufacturers across Africa and enable industry leaders to network and exchange expertise and experiences.
This awards scheme aims at identifying and publicly recognizing made in Africa products that are highly competitive against their counterparts that are manufactured in the rest of the world that are available in local African markets. This is response to the urgent need to create widespread awareness among Africans as to the need to patronize made in Africa goods rather than versions imported from other parts of the world, while at the same time creating a culture of production for sustained, and ultimately lucrative export rather than a culture of importation for quick, but narrow and unstable profits.
Both self and third party nominations are acceptable. All enterprises/institutions registered and domiciled in any African sovereign jurisdiction are eligible to be nominated. However nominations will be verified for authenticity and for basic adherence to the relevant assessment criteria before being accepted for consideration by the Awards Jury. No fees or payments are required for nominations nor actual conferment of awards. The awards scheme will be financed by corporate/institutional sponsorships.
Awardees will be selected by expert assessment using a comprehensive, credible process that involves authentication of nominations received, confirmation that the nominations meet the established eligibility criteria and ultimately a specially constituted Awards Selection Jury comprising experts on manufacturing in Africa for both domestic markets on the continent and for export to the rest of the world. However, to minimize bias in any form we have devised detailed selection criteria which will be applied all through the comprehensive, multi-stage selection process.
Awards will be conferred at a five star gala dinner event to be held in later this year which will bring together representatives of awardee enterprises/institutions, other corporate chieftains and stakeholders of corporate Africa, including government, civil society, the international community and both the international and local media.
