Winners of the first all-Africa Employee Engagement Awards

Acacia Mining's Buzwagi Gold Mine general manager Benedict Busunzu collecting the Wellbeing, Reward and Recognition Award for its No Harm 2020 programme

Image: @AcaciaMining on Twitter

It was a unique opportunity for business leaders to champion continent-wide achievements and innovative approaches to engaging employees, customers and communities. Eleven category winners and 18 highly commended entries were awarded recognition from the independent judges supporting the Employee Engagement Awards and Conferences.

Category winners:

Wellbeing Reward and Recognition: Acacia Mining - Buzwagi Gold Mine (Tanzania)
Public Sector EE Company of the Year: Transnet Group Capital (South Africa) [winner]; Eskom [Highly Commended]
EE Diversity and Inclusion Award: Ford Motor Company SA
EE Company of the Year: Growthpoint Properties
Employer Brand of the Year: Kauai
CSI: Sun International
EE NPO of the Year: Kwasa College
Sustainability: Thandeka Vocational Skills
Thuma Mina Award: Centre of Excellence for Leather Skills
Learnerships and Skills: Cummins
EE Consultancy of the Year: EE Consultancy of the Year

Hosted in association with N2Growth Africa, the conference was sponsored by IE Business School – the international executive education school based in Madrid. At the conference, a leadership panel on critical skills for the continent, sponsored by the FP&MSeta South Africa, heard from Professor Sakela Buhlungu, VC of Fort Hare University, and respondents Ian Paterson, Grathel Motau, and Dorah Modise. Another specialist panel was chaired by Profesor Brian Armstrong from Wits Business School, together with international expert John Nives from N2Growth based in the US. They were joined by Chief Digital Officer at BCX, Rapelang Rabana.

Next year’s awards will be held on 5 June, with a view to expand into West Africa from N2Growth Africa’s Lagos base by 2020.